Evison keeps Kent afloat after Gregory broadside

Kent were bowled out for 284 by Somerset on a fluctuating second day in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury. Joey Evison hit 85 and Harry Finch 54 as the hosts recovered from 114 for 5.

Somerset captain Lewis Gregory's first over went for 20, but he rallied to take 4 for 66, including the key wicket of Evison, but bad light stopped play before Somerset had the chance to reply, with 23 scheduled overs remaining.

The weather had wiped out the first day at the Spitfire Ground and conditions were still so blustery on Saturday morning that the advertising hoardings had to be stacked safely away from the boundary.

Somerset, who left out the England spinner Shoaib Bashir, chose to bowl and produced a torrid opening spell. Kent scored just 17 off the first ten overs from Josh Davey and Jake Ball, but when Gregory came on from the Nackington Road End the batters were initially able to cut loose.

Tawanda Muyeye took 24 balls and 39 minutes to get off the mark, but once the opening pair had been seen off he hit 33 from 55 balls before Gregory bowled him. Gregory struck again in his next over when he had Kent captain Daniel Bell-Drummond caught at second slip by Kasey Aldridge and Jack Leaning then went for a golden duck, caught behind down the leg side by James Rew off Ned Leonard.

Matt Renshaw had Joe Denly caught by Gregory for 19 with the final ball of the session to leave Kent on 110 for 4 at lunch.

The normally staid Compton tried to hook Gregory and was caught on the boundary by Leonard for 32 but Kent responded with a partnership of 93, Evison joining Finch to take the hosts past the 200 mark.

Aldridge then tilted the equation back in Somerset's favour with two wickets in the 53rd over. Finch drove him to Tom Banton at midwicket and he then had Wes Agar caught for a duck in the slips by Gregory.

Sensing he might run out of partners, Evison went on the attack, swiping Renshaw for six over cow corner. He was dropped by Tom Lammonby, off Aldridge, on 51, but Goldsworthy then claimed his first ever first-class wicket when he bowled Nathan Gilchrist for just 2, leaving Kent on 235 for 8 at tea.

The hosts countered with a stand of 61 for the ninth wicket which was only broken when Evison tried to drive Goldsworthy, who deflected the ball on to the stumps at the non-strikers end and ran out Matt Parkinson for 25. Evison then fell on the deep square leg boundary when he tried to hook Gregory and was caught by Goldsworthy.

Somerset's openers Lammonby and Sean Dickson made it as far as the middle when the umpires took a light reading and suspended play. With no improvement looking likely, the evening session was abandoned at 6.05pm.