Wayne Madsen, Luis Reece reach centuries as Derbyshire pile on runs

Wayne Madsen and Luis Reece both made centuries as Derbyshire piled on the runs in their Rothesay County Championship match with Kent at Canterbury, reaching 389 for 2 at the end of day one.

Opener Reece batted all day and was unbeaten on 123 while Madsen was 147 not out, having passed 1,000 runs for the summer. By stumps their partnership was 231, a Derbyshire record for the third wicket against Kent.

Reece's fellow opener Aneurin Donald chipped in with 55 as the home bowlers struggled to make any impact.

It says something about the way Kent's season has gone that the loudest applause of the day came midway through the afternoon session, when it was announced the coffee machine in the Lime Tree cafe had been fixed.

Third-placed Derbyshire chose to bat against a side guaranteed to finish bottom of Division Two and the morning session went to form, with the visitors reaching 108 for 1 at lunch.

The sole victim was Donald, who was bowled leg-stump by Michael Cohen, shortly after he'd driven him through the covers to bring up his 50.

When play resumed Reece tickled a Grant Stewart delivery down the leg side for four to reach his half-century and although Matt Parkinson had Harry Came stumped by Harry Finch for 35 at the start of the next over, Madsen joined Reece and reached four figures for the first-class season, the eighth time he's reached that milestone.

Kent were docked six points for a slow over rate in their last game with Leicestershire but despite, or perhaps because of this, there was widespread incredulity when the tea interval was taken on time, for the first time it what seemed like an eon, with the visitors on 238 for 2.

Madsen took a single off Cohen to reach 50 and then dumped Jaydn Denly over cow corner for six.

Reece scampered a single off Parkinson to reach his century, before he played a dreadful shot to the very next delivery, skying Parkinson straight to Ben Dawkins, who somehow dropped him.

Madsen took two from a Stewart no ball to get to three figures, then overtook his partner before hitting a six off Corey Flintoff that broke Derbyshire's record stand for the third wicket, the 202 put on by Chris Adams and Dean Jones at this venue in 1997.

Madsen nearly perished in the final over when he hit Parkinson to long on, but Stewart couldn't pick the flight of the ball and the chance went begging.