Hampshire start well in clash with Kent

Hampshire 343 for seven after 96 overs.

Sean Ervine made the best of a placid Canterbury pitch to ease Hampshire into a strong position in reaching 343 for seven on the opening day of their LV= County Championship clash with Kent in Canterbury.

The 31-year-old Zimbabwean scored an unbeaten 75 from 110 balls to resurrect a Hampshire innings that, at 187 for five, had threatened to seriously underachieve on a placid Canterbury pitch.

Kent marked the 100^th anniversary of the start of the First World War by using a 1914 half crown for the toss, which Hampshire won and chose to bat first.

On a docile wicket the visiting opening pair Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry suffered little or no consternation in posting 71 for the first wicket.

Carberry (39) steered a couple of his seven boundaries down through third man off thick edges, but otherwise looked untroubled until the introduction of off-spinner Adam Riley who struck with his fourth ball.

Looking to whip a length delivery through mid-wicket, Carberry missed out and was sent packing lbw by umpire Ben Debenham but, despite a short break for rain, Hampshire were still sitting pretty at lunch on 90 for one.

Kent re-grouped in the interval and, with the first ball after the break, Mitch Claydon found the inside edge of Adams to dismiss the left-hander to an athletic catch by wicketkeeper Sam Billings – the first of his four catches.

Kent made further mid-session progress when Bollinger had James Vince caught at the wicket when attempting a back-foot force then Will Smith, having reached a 108 ball 50 with eight fours, played around one from Riley to go leg before.

Without addition to the total Liam Dawson (36) nicked another catch to the athletic Billings to make it 187 for five but Ervine, resolute and punishing when anything short was on offer, stroked six boundaries on his way to a 59-ball 50.

Soon after posting their first batting bonus point Adam Wheater (15) feathered one of Doug Bollinger to give Billings another top catch and leave Kent believing they might polish the innings off in good time.

Ervine had other ideas however, and he dug in together with Chris Wood to add a workmanlike 124 for the seventh wicket inside 28.3 overs.

Wood hit six fours in his 74-ball half-century in a responsible stay in tandem with Ervine that left Kent wondering where their next wicket may come from.

It was veteran Darren Stevens who finally proved to be Kent’s partnership breaker having Wood snaffled at slip by Ben Harmison for 61 to bring in Matt Coles – the former Kent all-rounder – to face the handful of nervy deliveries before the close.

Though Coles failed to get off the mark, he survived through to stumps with Ervine (75*) to send their side into day two of the 163^rd Canterbury Cricket Week fixture with power to add.