LONDON’S rush-hour traffic and a couple of short, sharp showers tried to take the gloss off the day, but Brian Lara’s quality shone like gold as the West Indies completed a comprehensive 91-run win over Kent.

A 7,000 capacity crowd at the new county ground in Beckenham were pretty much subdued by the drizzle during much of the West Indies’ innings, but smiles returned once Lara idled to the crease for a 53-ball cameo stay of 68 runs.

The day had started rather farcically, with Kent warming-up right up to the scheduled 10.45am start time with no sign of the tourists, let alone their team-bus.

Apparently the West Indies’ coach was snared within Streatham High Road gridlock en route from their London hotel, forcing a 45-minute delay and a reduction in the game to 48 overs per side.

At least the hold up allowed everybody to cram into the Worsley Bridge Road Ground and get the best possible vantage point for Lara’s entry into the gladiatorial arena.

Kent and England pace bowler Martin Saggers made the early thrusts, however, claiming the first three wickets to fall on his way to impressive figures of five for 51.

With little or no chance for a knock-up, opener Chris Gayle lost his off stump to Saggers’ second ball of the day, then Dwayne Smith’s bright innings ended for 23 to a sharp catch at mid-on by Amjad Khan.

As Saggers rested, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul dug in to add 106 in 23 overs, in a workmanlike, yet fairly bland apéritif to Lara’s glorious main course.

The crowd stood on mass just to watch the little Trinidadian walk out to bat and remained pretty much transfixed for his entire 64-minute stay as he and Sarwan (79) upped the tempo with a fourth wicket stand worth 99 in just 12 overs.

The dancing feet, the wristy drives and the imperious lofted shots - this was exactly what the crowd had paid their good money to see.

The express pace of Mohammad Sami, fit again after a knee strain, was treated with contempt by Lara, while one of James Tredwell’s off-spinner’s was dispatched over the sight screen, across the boundary hedge and into the Crystal Palace training pitch next door. The ball was never seen again!

Tredwell had his revenge, however, having Lara caught at long-on and then top-scorer Sarwan at backward point as Khan claimed three catches in the innings.

Saggers returned for a third spell to bag two more wickets and the match ball for his five-wicket return, but by then Lara had gone and the West Indies were on course for an impressive 274 for eight.

The Caribbean steel band ran for cover when rain showers returned during the interval and Kent’s batsmen must have felt like joining them once the West Indies unleashed their pace barrage at the start of the reply.

Michael Carberry, dropped on five, went two runs later to Jermaine Lawson, the gangly but distinctly quick bowler from Jamaica who finished with four for 59.

Having been forced into a recent re-modelling of his action, Lawson went on to account for James Tredwell to a clipped catch to mid-on, Matt Dennington (1), who sliced to gully, then Niall O’Brien to a mis-timed pull to mid-off.

The marginally slower Ravi Rampaul sent back Alex Loudon (12) and David Fulton (10), two of six victims to keeper Ridley Jacobs, and by the mid-point of Kent’s innings the game and the abortive run-chase was as good as over.

Ed Smith braved it out for 31 overs to top-score with 54, his 50 coming from 65-balls, but without Rob Key and Geraint Jones on England duty and the injured Andrew Symonds and Matt Walker, Kent’s batting looked a little threadbare.

Smith eventually fell to his namesake Dwayne Smith (two for 40), and Kent’s tail obligingly capitulated for 183 and just in time for England’s kick-off in Euro 2004.

Kent: Carberry, Smith, Loudon, Fulton, Tredwell, O’Brien, Dennington, Khan, Sami, Saggers, Trott.