Nottinghamshire v Kent

Just when Kent’s bowlers thought they might take the opening day plaudits in their LV Championship clash at Trent Bridge, so Nottinghamshire’s mop-topped swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom galloped in to gazump them in the final half-hour of the day.

Having been dismissed for 202 inside 82.4 overs Nottinghamshire hit back in the guise of Sidebottom, who took 3-3 in 19 balls to help reduce Kent to 33-4 at stumps.

Earlier Kent’s former England swing bowler Martin Saggers, restored to the side after missing the draw at Hove, led the visiting attack well in taking 3-54 despite having three catches downed in the first session, but all that paled into insignificance once Sidebottom got the ball in his hands.

The England left-armer ran in to dismiss Joe Denly with the first ball of the reply. A full-length in-swinger, Denly was caught pushing from the crease and virtually played over the top of the ball as it swung back to peg back his middle stump.

Then, in the very next over, Charlie Shreck swung his fourth ball of the day into right-hander Martin van Jaarsveld (0) to trap him leg before when pushing outside the line.

In the fifth over Matt Walker (1) edged one that lifted and left him late to keeper Chris Read then, three balls later, Darren Stevens (0) padded up to another in-swinger to go leg before.

Opener James Tredwell (9) and in-form Justin Kemp (7) survived through to stumps, but neither will relish facing up to Sidebottom on Thursday morning.

Fielding first after losing the toss, Kent took three wickets in the morning session, but Saggers saw three chances dropped off his bowling.

Fourth slip Walker, keeper Geraint Jones and second slip and acting skipper Martin van Jaarsveld were the guilty fielders as Matthew Wood on one, then Mark Wagh on eight and 24, both received let-offs.

Saggers at least saw Kemp take a regulation slip chance to account for Will Jefferson (10) off an airy drive in the eighth over of the day then, nine overs later and having switched to the Pavilion End, Saggers ran one away from right-handed Wood (16), squared him up in back-foot defence and grazed the outside edge for Kemp to take a better catch diving to his right at slip.

Wagh’s lucky stay ended with his score on 42 when Joseph, who replaced Saggers after a stint of 2-33, extracted a little extra bounce for Jones to atone for his earlier blunder by taking a fine catch in his right glove diving in front of first slip.

Having taken lunch on 100-3, Adam Voges (43) and Samit Patel took the score on to 143 before Kent enjoyed their next success when Stevens had Voges caught at short extra cover by Martin van Jaarsveld for 40.

Leaning back and off-balance, Voges was unable to keep the ball on the floor and fell into Stevens’ trap.

Six overs later Patel (39) flailed wide outside off stump against Stevens and his bottom-edge remained cleanly in the gloves of Jones who was stood up to the stumps.

The collapse continued in the next over when Bilal Shafayat (3) edged an attempted back-foot force against Joseph into the slip cordon. James Tredwell at third slip parried the ball up allowing van Jaarsveld to complete the catch at second slip.

Kent’s bowlers kept it tight up through to the interval, so much so, that Stuart Broad took 32 minutes and 29 balls simply to get off the mark.

Broad (4) soon came unstuck soon after the re-start when he pushed away from his body at a Stevens’ off-cutter for Kemp to pull off a stunning one-handed catch to his left at slip.

Three overs and seven runs later former Kent favourite Mark Ealham snicked a perfectly pitched out-swinger from Saggers into the gloves of Jones to make it 185-8.

Yasir Arafat replaced Saggers to take the new ball after 80 overs when Read square drove for four to post the Nottinghamshire 200 and a batting bonus point.

Two balls later though, Read was drawn into a wide drive and edged a leg-cutter to Kemp who took his fourth catch of the day comfortably, waist-high at slip.

Then, in his next over, Arafat had last man Shreck caught behind, the ninth dismissal to fall to the slip and keeper cordon.

Robbie Joseph, fit again after a groin twinge bagged 3-42 and Arafat took 2-36 to polish off the innings with the second new ball.

The surprise package, however, was Stevens who sent down 24 overs from the Radcliffe Road End to finish with 3-42 with his naggingly accurate medium-pacers.