Kent crash in final session

Kent 33 for 6 (Fuller 3-23) trail Gloucestershire 252 (Roderick 59) by 219 runs
Scorecard

Kent lost six final-session wickets as they collapsed spectacularly on the first evening of their Division Two match against Gloucestershire. Having dismissed their hosts for 252, Kent failed woefully with the bat to slump to 33 for 6 at the close, still 219 runs behind.

Not a single visiting batsman managed double figures, with the top four combined making just one. At one point Kent were 2 for 4. Will Gidman took 2 for 1 and James Fuller 3 for 23 as the Gloucestershire bowlers cashed in.

Earlier Gareth Roderick had top-scored with 59 for the hosts, a score Kent's batsmen could only dream of.

Rob Key was the first man to go with the third ball of the innings, caught behind by Roderick off Fuller for a duck. Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Northeast and Brendan Nash followed in successive overs as a bad start became a horrendous one.

Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens soon followed for 8 apiece, leaving Sam Billings was unbeaten with Adam Riley at the close.

Kent had started the day in positive mood after they, too, made early breakthroughs with the ball, Mitchell Claydon with two wickets as they reduced Gloucestershire to 23 for 3.

But a fifth-wicket partnership of 75 between Hamish Marshall, who made 44, and Roderick, helped the hosts recover, taking the score from 64 to 139.

Marshall was bowled by Riley and Roderick caught by Stevens off Doug Bollinger, but useful contributions from lower down the order took the score past the 250 mark. Gidman made 31 and No. 9 Tom Smith 30 before becoming Riley's third wicket of the innings.