DESPITE an injury that sidelined in-form Rob Key, a green-tinted pitch that led to the fall of seven Gloucestershire wickets before lunch and a afternoon fight-back from the visitors most of the first day chat at Maidstone centred on development plans.

While visiting batsmen struggled to cope with lateral movement off of a slightly damp wicket, so Kent’s members were wrapping their heads around the scheme unveiled by local builders Hillreed Homes Ltd that would lead to the razing of The Mote’s historic peg-tiled pavilion.

If the project receives planning consent, 24 terraced houses and a further 16 luxury apartments will be built in a crescent adjacent to the entrance to Mote Park and on the fringes of the club’s 3rd XI ground to help subsidise improvements to sports facilities at the county town ground.

The existing 95-year-old pavilion would be demolished to make way for a four-lane indoor school and a pristine pavilion, a smaller version to that at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl, erected at the Rugby Ground End to accommodate cricket changing facilities and Maidstone Rugby Club.

Ironically, the first XI square will remain intact, yet it was the pitch that raised most eyebrows and led to David Fulton’s decision to ask Chris Taylor’s side to bat first.

True enough, Gloucestershire batted like a side that came into this game off the back of three successive championship defeats, but Kent must take some credit for bowling good lines and taking some fine catches that came their way.

Only Matt Windows, who hustled to 39 from 57 balls with a six and six fours, showed any attacking intent. Later Mark Hardinges stuck around 84 minutes for his 27 as Fulton packed men around the bat for Amjad Khan, Andrew Hall to claim two wickets apiece while Simon Cook was rewarded for his nagging accuracy with three for 54.

Gloucestershire showed more resolve after lunch and, despite to rain breaks and the loss of 32 overs, showed far more aptitude for the fight.

Ian Fisher (39) and No10 Carl Greenidge helped double the lunchtime score reaching 178 for nine when a third shower ended play for the day.

Despite the late rally, ECB pitch liaison officer and former Sussex and England seamer Tony Pigott said he had called up fellow pitch inspector David Hughes to form a two-man pitch panel to pass judgement on the surface on day two.

SCORECARD

Kent first innings

W P C Weston b Hall 5
S J Adshead c Patel b Cook 2
M G N Windows lbw b Khan 39
C G Taylor lbw b Cook 0
A P R Gidman b Stevens 2
J A Pearson c O’Brien b Kemp 13
M A Hardinges c O’Brien b Khan 27
U D U Chandana c Kemp b Hall 7
I D Fisher c O’Brien b Cook 39
C G Greenidge not out 23
S P Kirby not out 1
Extras 20

Total 178 for nine after 55 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-5, 2-25, 3-25, 4-48, 5-54, 6-83, 7-92, 8-128, 9-170.

Bowling: Khan 9-1-28-2, Hall 13-2-45-2, Cook 19-6-54-3, Stevens 8-4-16-1, Patel 1-0-4-0, Kemp 5-2-25-1.