At a glance
- Roderick 164* as Worcestershire post a big total
- Bell-Drummond 129 for Kent
- Middlesex and Durham close
There was plenty of action on day one of Round five in Division Two of the County Championship. Two matches saw both sides take to the crease, while the third is finely poised.
Kent v Derbyshire
The clash between two of the bottom three sides is shaping up to be a compelling contest. Kent were put in to bat and made a steady start before losing Ben Dawkins for 6 with the score on 21. Zak Crawley, looking to build form ahead of the Test series, made 44 before being bowled.
Wickets fell at regular intervals, but Kent kept building useful partnerships and were eventually bowled out for 352. Daniel Bell-Drummond led from the front with a captain’s innings of 129, while wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin added a solid 56.
Rory Haydon was the star with the ball, as he took 5-82. Zak Chappell and Ben Aitchison took two apiece, with Martin Andersson getting the wicket of Crawley.
Derbyshire only had to face five overs before the close of play and were 24-0, looking to get close to that imposing Kent total.
You can read the full scorecard here
Northamptonshire v Worcestershire
Northamptonshire might have expected to be firmly in control, but the game has tightened considerably. Despite wickets falling in clusters, Gareth Roderick anchored Worcestershire with a superb unbeaten 164 in a total of 305.
He was supported by Olly Hannon-Dalby, who made 26, as the pair put on a record breaking 120-run stand for the tenth wicket, ending a mark that had stood for 91 years.
Ben Sanderson was the pick of the bowlers, with 4-78. Raphy Weatherall and Calvin Harrison took two apiece with Luke Procter getting the other.
Northamptonshire faced a testing 14-over spell late in the day but came through unscathed, reaching 40 for 0 and beginning to edge towards the target.
You can read the full scorecard here
Middlesex v Durham
Middlesex won the toss and elected to bat first, which looks like a reasonable decision, as ended the day on 272-6. Sam Robson is the top scorer at the moment with 87, Max Holden scored 65. Ryan Higgins (57*) and Zafar Gohar (0*) restart in the morning.
Durham turned to Ben Raine, who has taken 3 for 39, while Matthew Potts added 2 for 52 and Kasey Aldridge claimed the other wicket. However, they suffered a setback when Kemar Roach left the field with a hamstring injury, prompting Luke Robinson to step in and make his first-class debut.
You can read the full scorecard here
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