KENT’S England batsman Rob Key became the first player in the country to reach 1,000 first-class runs for the season at Tunbridge Wells today.

Key passed the milestone when he reached 94 in Kent’s Frizzell Championship match at the Nevill and helped the hosts make an excellent start by reaching 285 for one at tea.

At the interval, Key was still going strong on 129 while Smith had reached 101.

Just before 3pm Key lent back to cut a short ball from Mark Chilton to the ropes at third man to receive an ovation from a good first day crowd at the Royal Spa town.

It is the third season in four years that a Kent player has reached the landmark first, Key following in the footsteps of David Fulton (2001) and Ed Smith (2003).

Key went on to post his sixth first-class century of the summer from 186 balls and with 82 in boundaries as Kent dominated the opening two sessions of this four-day clash.

Key and Fulton posted 83 for the first wicket before Fulton went for an attractive 42.

Pushing inside the line of a Steven Crook out-swinger, Fulton had his off-stump plucked out of the ground as Kent suffered their first casualty in the 25th over of the day.

But Key then teamed up with Ed Smith to post an unbroken double century stand for the second wicket with Smith contributing his first century of the summer from 129-balls and with 14 fours.