Sam Northeast and Zak Crawley both struck 80s as Kent reached 299-6 on a rain-shortened opening day of their Rothesay County Championship fixture with hosts Middlesex at Merchant Taylors’ School.
Northeast, looked on course for his third century against Middlesex in as many years before falling for 87, while Crawley passed 50 in the Championship for the first time this season in making 81, the pair sharing a stand of 142 for the second wicket.
Middlesex though, fresh from their Metro Bank One-Day Cup heroics on Sunday, fought back after that stand, former skipper Toby Roland-Jones leading the hunt for wickets with 3-70, while Tom Helm took 2-57.
Northeast came to join Crawley in the 10th over of the day following the fall of Ben Compton lbw to Helm for 13, and he survived an early shout for a catch behind from the same bowler. So confident were Middlesex they’d got their man they didn’t initially appeal, but the umpire remained unmoved.
Crawley was the aggressor in their stand, but that said he largely exhibited a patience often missing in his England tenure, resisting the temptation to throw hands at balls outside off stump. When the loose ball came it was however punished, an imperious straight drive off Roland-Jones and a savage pull shot off Helm the pick of the eight fours that took him to his half century in the shadows of lunch.
Upon the resumption Crawley scored more quickly, feeding on some friendly offerings from the errant Eathan Bosch. However, with a century beckoning, old habits resurfaced as feet rooted he drove at a wide one from Ryan Higgins and was caught a slip, a wicket for the all-rounder on his return to action after two months out with a wrist injury.
For a while, Middlesex’s bowlers held sway, with Roland-Jones bowling a beautiful spell from the Lake End and Helm and Higgins also proving menacing. Tawanda Muyeye never looking set before edging Roland-Jones to Sam Robson at slip and skipper Bell-Drummond all at sea from the off before giving the veteran seamer his second scalp courtesy of a catch by wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell.
Northeast though, with scores of 335 and 122 in the last two seasons against the tenants of Lord’s while with Glamorgan, was showing great resilience after his early scare. Less flamboyant than Crawley he found the gaps and ran hard, while his fifth boundary square of the wicket would carry him to a deserved 50. That shot was bettered by a drive off Bosch which screamed past the stumps at the bowlers end.
Rain during tea delayed proceedings and maybe that disturbed the concentration of the Kent batter who perished lbw to Roland-Jones shortly after the restart.
Helm then castled Chris Benjamin to cut short his innings on 27 and Ekansh Singh was dropped at gully by Higgins before rain drove the players off for a second time.
They returned some 45 minutes later in the evening sunlight with Kent moving to the brink of a second batting point before stumps were drawn.
Middlesex Men
Kent Men
