County Championship: Kent batters edge Middlesex’s bowlers on day one

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury (day one)

Kent 356-7: Benjamin 70, Compton 53, Dawkins 50; Morgan 4-90, Helm 3-63, Morgan 2-66

Middlesex: Yet to bat

Bonus points: Kent 3pts, Middlesex 2pts

Match scorecard

Chris Benjamin hit 70 as Kent reached 356-7 at stumps on day one of their County Championship game with Middlesex at Canterbury.

Ben Compton and Ben Dawkins also hit half-centuries, making 53 and 50 respectively, as Kent benefited from a series of partnerships.

The hosts did not have things all their own way however, and were kept in check.

For Middlesex, Seb Morgan took 4-90, and Tom Helm claimed 3-63 to remain in the contest.

The 174th Canterbury Festival got under way in front of a crowd of 2,628, swelled by over 1,000 schoolchildren. They witnessed an opening session for the purists, with Kent choosing to bat and inching to 64 without loss at lunch.

There was plenty of movement, and while little of it troubled the batters, it took 39 minutes before the first boundary, from Dawkins.

Dawkins had nudged his way to 50 soon after the resumption, edging Morgan for four, when he went to the same bowler, caught by Max Holden off a leading edge.

Helm subsequently got both Compton and Daniel Bell-Drummond caught behind, the latter for five after an athletic grab by Joe Cracknell.

He then bowled Sam Northeast for 42 with one that cut back and bent his off- stump backwards, putting Middlesex in a far happier mood at tea, when it was 202-4.

Kent responded with another half-century stand, but this was broken when Morgan had Ekansh Singh caught behind for 17.

Benjamin cut Zafar through backward point to reach his 50 and Grant Stewart survived a dicey opening spell to dump Naavya Sharma for six over midwicket.

Their partnership, worth 64, was broken when Morgan had Benjamin caught behind and Stewart was two shy of his half-century when Morgan bowled him off stump, but Keith Dudgeon and Matt Milnes added some useful runs, steering Kent to a third batting point shortly before stumps.

Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.