Kent 18 for one – trail Yorkshire by 292

SIMON COOK bagged Kent’s best bowling figures of the season as Kent dismissed relegation-threatened Yorkshire for 310 but honours finished even on day one of their Liverpool Victoria Championship match in Leeds.

The former Middlesex seamer, recalled to first team ranks to replace the injured Martin Saggers, finished with five for 36 from 20 overs – only the second time this summer a Kent bowler has taken five in an innings.

Cook, 28, got the ball to swing prodigiously after lunch to claim four wickets but every Kent bowler struggled to dislodge the imperious Darren Lehmann.

The Australian left-hander, who scored 193 in Canterbury earlier in the season, scored 172 to post his 79th first-class ton and his fourth against the hop county in the process.

He took a particular liking to Tyron Henderson, clipping him for four impudent sixes into Headingley’s new East Stand to go with his 19 fours before finally running out of steam after 266 minutes at the crease.

The day had started promisingly for Kent who, despite losing the toss, took early wickets through Amjad Khan.

The tearaway Dane, who qualifies for a British passport this winter, put in a hostile, six-over opening stint of two for nine to make the most of helpful early conditions.

Having decided to bat in bright sunshine, home skipper Craig White must have been alarmed by the sudden arrival of cloud cover that undoubtedly helped the visiting attack.

Khan, Kent’s only bowler to take five wickets in an innings prior to today, jagged one back off the seam to peg back White’s middle and off stumps then, six overs later, he pushed one across left-hander Joe Sayers who edged to Darren Stevens at the finer of two gullies.

Henderson tended to bowl too short, while Dwayne Bravo continually over-pitched in conceding six boundaries in his opening five overs.

Cook replaced him the Rugby Stand End to break a third-wicket stand worth 39, courtesy of Rob Key’s innovative field placing.

Squared up when working to leg, Michael Lumb (15) picked out short, straight mid-off where Matt Walker, diving to his right and onto the cut strip, took a good catch, but not before Bravo had been fortunate to account for in-form McGrath (41) after he drove wildly and edged to slip.

The ball swung even more after lunch and it was Cook, looking fresh and fully fit for virtually the first time this season, who looked most threatening.

He snared Adil Rashid (10) leg-before after a late decision to pad up to an in-swinger then Simon Guy followed an away-swinger to edge to Geraint Jones.

Min Patel, who improved the over and economy rates, ended Jason Gillespie’s dogged 69-ball resistance when the tall Aussie drove to short extra-cover but no one could prize out Lehmann, who reached his century soon after tea from 121 balls.

Mark Lawson, dropped on seven and 21 by Jones and Khan respectively, was next to go when he nibbled a Cook out-swinger to second slip and Steven Patterson followed in identical fashion, for van Jaarsveld’s 27th catch of the season and Cook’s fifth scalp.

Kent resorted to posting eight, then even nine fielders on the boundary toward the end but Lehmann still had the ability and time to pick out the gaps and race to his third 50 in 42 balls and help Gideon Kruis add 66 for the last wicket before he eventually fell.

After four-and-a-quarter hours at the crease he clipped firmly to mid-wicket off Patel for Fulton to take a comfortable catch.

In the nine overs through to the close Kent lost Fulton (6) to another catch in the slip cordon but Key and night watchman Simon Cook survived through to the close to take the visitors into day two with a 292-run deficit.

SCORECARD

Yorkshire first innings

C White b Khan 3
J J Sayers c Stevens b Khan 9
A McGrath c van Jaarsveld b Bravo 41
M J Lumb c Walker b Cook 15
D S Lehmann c Fulton b Patel 172
A Rashid lbw b Cook 10
S M Guy c Jones b Cook 4
J N Gillespie c Walker b Patel 4
M A K Lawson c van Jaarsveld b Cook 21
S A Patterson c van Jaarsveld b Cook 0
G J Kruis not out 9

Extras 22

Total 310 all out after 92.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-10, 2-25, 3-64, 4-92, 5-128, 6-136, 7-166, 8-228, 9-244.

Bowling: Khan 17-1-50-2, Henderson 21-1-118-0, Cook 20-5-36-5, Bravo 8-0-40-1, Patel 18.5- 3-38-2, Stevens 8-0-25-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c McGrath b Kruis 6
R W T Key not out 7
S J Cook not out 4

Extras 1

Total 18 for one after nine overs

Fall of wicket: 1-13,

Bowling: Gillespie 4-1-9-0, Kruis 4-2-7-1, Rashid 1-0-1-0.

Bonus points: Yorkshire 3pts Kent 3pts.

* Mark Pennell's day two report will appear here at the close of play this evening.