Rehan Ahmed continues stellar season as Leicestershire take charge

Rehan Ahmed hit a brilliant 119 as Division Two leaders Leicestershire reached 386 for 9 at stumps on day one of their Rothesay County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury.

Rishi Patel, dropped in the first over when he was on nought, made 85 in a stand of 164 for the second wicket with Rehan, who hit three sixes and 17 fours in a flamboyant innings that defied the gloomy conditions and a green wicket. Matt Parkinson took 7 for 104 and is on course for career best figures, if he can better the 7 for 126 he took for Lancashire against Kent at this venue in 2021.

Tom Scriven and Josh Hull were not out on 39 and 12 respectively at the close.

Kent's decision to bowl looked reasonable given the weather and the hue of the wicket, but less so when Leicestershire reached 120 for 1 for at lunch, by which time the hosts learned they'd been docked eight points for repeated infractions of the disciplinary code.

Given they were already 18 points adrift at the foot of the table, this did little to lighten the mood among the St Lawrence ultras in a crowd of 1200 and the tone was set when Ben Compton dropped Rishi off the fifth ball of the morning, after he'd edged Agar.

The only wicket came in the 11th over, when Sol Budinger played on to Agar for 27 and Rishi got a second life when he was on 26 and cut Evison. The ball hit keeper Harry Finch on the glove before falling short of Tawanda Muyeye at first slip.

Both Rishi and Rehan reached their half-centuries with sixes, the former with a pull off Agar that flew over square leg, the latter hooking the same bowler over backward square, but the afternoon session was more of a contest.

Parkinson broke the partnership when he duped Rishi into charging down the wicket and Finch stumped him and with his next delivery he had Lewis Hill brilliantly caught by a diving Tawanda Muyeye at slip.

Rehan reached his century when he nudged Parkinson for a single, but Joey Evison then had Peter Handscomb lbw for 18 and Parkinson got Rehan when Muyeye took an ankle-high catch.

By tea Kent were a bowler down, as stand-in skipper Grant Stewart had limped off with a hamstring injury, but Louis Kimber went for 17, caught by the sub Kashif Ali after he'd holed out to Parkinson and for the second time in the match the bowler found himself on a hat-trick when Ben Green went to the next ball, caught by debutant Ben Dawkins at silly point trying to sweep.

Logan van Beek survived it comfortably enough but had made just 5 when Parkinson had him caught by George Garrett at short third man. Ian Holland went in almost identical fashion for 49 before the players went off for bad light at 5.49pm.

Almost everyone in the ground had left when the umpires called the players back for a 6.25pm restart and Leicestershire added 20 useful runs in the 5.5 overs that remained.