Kent reach respectability against Lancashire

Kent and Lancashire matched each other blow for blow on an eventful opening day of this sun-kissed CricInfo Championship clash in Canterbury.

The plaudits went to Kent opening batsman David Fulton, the first batsman in the country to pass 1,000 runs for the first-class season, and to Martin Saggers, who received his Kent county cap during the lunch interval.

But the Red Rose county also had good reason to be pleased for limiting the hosts to 301 for eight on a decent St Lawrence pitch and in conditions ideal for batting.

Indeed, John Crawley's early decision to invite the Hop County to bat raised a few eyebrows, but the Lancashire skipper had looked at a green tinted pitch and an even covering of grass and, despite the absence of his premier seamers Glen Chapple and Peter Martin through injury, elected to bowl first.

Kent made a decent enough start, adding 25 for the first wicket before Rob Key found an inside edge when driving to give former Durham seamer John Wood the first of his two wickets on Championship debut for the visitors.

Ed Smith also went before lunch to a catch at third man by Muthiah Muralitharan, who was the bowler when Fulton swept for four to reach his 1,000-run milestone.

Kent's new overseas player Andrew Symonds (31) helped post 58 for the third wicket before he flailed at Wood to give wicket-keeper Warren Hegg the first of his four catches of the day.

Wickets fell regularly thereafter, including that of Fulton for 65 and, at 208 for eight, Kent looked likely to miss out on a second, let alone a third batting bonus point.

But then Saggers teamed up with ninth-wicket partner Paul Nixon to post an unbroken 96 to help Kent to respectability and frustrate the visitors for the final hour of the day.