Kent v Yorkshire

A tired Kent side put in a weary performance on the opening day of their LV Championship match with Yorkshire at St Lawrence where acting skipper Anthony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph scored hundreds to leave the Tykes in command.

After a hectic schedule of Twenty20, FPT ties and four-day action, Kent looked jaded and all but out on their feet as the visitors piled on the runs to go in at the close on 359-5.

Batting first on a bright morning and having won the toss, the white rose county lost their first wicket after six overs, but that owed more to poor shot selection than it did good bowling.

With his score on 10 left-hander Andrew Gale chased a wide longhop from Robbie Joseph and flat batted it into the hands of Darren Stevens at slip.

That brought together Adam Lyth (50) and McGrath, who saw off Kent’s new ball attack of Yasir Arafat and Joseph and then looked comfortable against first change seamers Martin Saggers and Azhar Mahmood.

Lyth, having reached a 101-ball half-century with six fours, tried to work across the line on the walk against Mahmood only to be given leg before to make it 124-2.

But the wise heads of McGrath and Rudolph put Yorkshire in command thereafter with a third wicket stand worth 217 in 48 overs, a Tykes’ record against Kent.

McGrath, who has scored five previous tons against Kent, reached his sixth hundred from 178 balls and with 12 fours.

Rudolph meanwhile, rode his luck somewhat to get to three figures from 143 balls, also with a dozen fours and one six.

The South African was dropped on 66 and then 97. The first time when Geraint Jones downed a bottom edge in the first over of the day by off-spinner Martin van Jaarsveld then, three runs from his ton, Jones took off to his left to get fingertips on a chance from Martin Saggers that appeared destined to fly to Justin Kemp at slip.

Kent finally broke the stand with the second new ball when McGrath, in driving at Saggers, edged to van Jaarsveld at second slip to make it 341-3.

McGrath’s 144 took 287 minutes and included 16 fours and a brace of sixes.

Though Rudolph survived through to the close on 121, Kent at least ended the day on a brighter note when Yasir Arafat trapped Gary Balance (1) leg before and then had Gerard Brophy (0) caught by Stevens at mid-wicket.

The hosts made one change to the side that won at The Oval last week with Azhar Mahmood coming in for Ryan McLaren, who is rested while Martin van Jaarsveld passed a fitness test on his injured quad muscle.

Finally, Kent have been drawn against Essex in their Twenty20 Cup semi-final to be played at the Rose Bowl on finals day on July 26.

In the other semi final Middlesex will take on either Durham or Nottinghamshire.

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