Prince dominates on error-strewn day

Lancashire 269 for 8 (Prince 134*) v Kent
Scorecard

Ashwell Prince hit an unbeaten 134 on a day of missed chances and milestones in Canterbury as Lancashire reached a respectable 269 for 8 in their end-of-season Championship clash with Kent.

The former South Africa opening batsman posted the 35th century of his illustrious career to cement an otherwise faltering first innings by the newly-crowned Division Two champions. He barely put a foot wrong against a makeshift Kent attack shorn of Calum Haggett, Mitch Claydon and Charlie Shreck.

The hosts gave a surprise first-class debut to 19-year-old rookie pace bowler Matt Hunn, who was thrown in at the deep end to take the new ball after signing on the eve of the match. A right-arm, Colchester-born seamer with a handful of appearances for Kent and Essex second teams and Suffolk, he replaced Shreck who is Kent's leading Championship wicket-taker with 33 scalps.

Both Kent and Hunn made a sound start once the fog cleared allowing play to start at 10.45am and, having won the toss, Kent made their first breakthrough with the second ball of the match.

Mark Davies found a perfect length to draw Paul Horton forward and have him caught low and left-handed at second slip by Darren Stevens. Hunn sent down three maidens but was seen off by Prince who notched his 15,000th run in first-class cricket early in his stay.

Davies gave way to Adam Ball at the Nackington Road End and Ball struck with his ninth delivery by bowling Luis Reece will a full length delivery. However, Kent slip fielder Stevens grassed two tough chances just before lunch, missing Karl Brown on 4 against Ball and then 17 off the bowling of James Tredwell via a deflection off the wicketkeeper's knee.

Prince and Brown added 71 in 27.1 overs either side of lunch until Stevens had Brown, pushing in defence at an away-swinger, caught behind by Kent's tumbling understudy wicketkeeper Sam Billings.

Prince reached his eighth fifty of the season from 129 balls and with seven fours and, on reaching 73, posted his 1,000 runs for the Championship summer.

Kent botched a third chance when Luke Procter edged a drive against Stevens to be dropped at second slip by Sam Northeast. Procter failed to capitalise however, and soon perished for 8 to a diving catch at slip by Stevens after the left-hander had toe-ended an attempted sweep against Tredwell.

Andrea Agathangelou followed just before tea when he shouldered arms to Ball then, soon after the resumption Stevens took another athletic slip catch to account for Tom Smith and give Tredwell his 350th first-class wicket.

After almost five hours at the crease Prince reached his second hundred of the summer from 215 balls and with 14 fours. It was his sixth ton for Lancashire.

The second new ball accounted for Alex Davies, caught at slip when pushing defensively at one from namesake Mark Davies, then Hunn bagged his maiden Championship wicket by having Oliver Newby caught driving on the up at extra cover. Kent fluffed a fifth chance late in the day when Billings parried a diving chance off the edge of Stephen Parry's bat to deny Hunn a second scalp.