Bowlers on top as Crawley's misery continues at Canterbury

Kent fought to 172 for 6 on day one of their Rothesay County Championship match with Middlesex at Canterbury, trailing by 50 at the close on a day when 16 wickets fell.

Jack Davies' unbeaten 47 was the highlight for Middlesex, as they scratched their way to 222 all out. Nathan Gilchrist took 3 for 43 and debutant Kashif Ali, occasionally wearing a Dennis Lillee-style headband, claimed 3 for 60, but Davies' ninth-wicket partnership of 63 with Blake Cullen was already looking crucial as Middlesex ran through Kent's top order.

England's Zak Crawley continued to struggle as he went for a fourth-ball duck, lbw to Toby Roland-Jones and Cullen took 3 for 51 to help reduce Kent to 79 for 6 before Harry Finch and Grant Stewart rallied the home side, finishing unbeaten on 49 and 46 respectively.

Kent had prepared a lime green wicket for the benefit of Keith Dudgeon, who'd taken eight wickets in the rout of Northants, but even though he was injured in training on Thursday they had no hesitation in choosing to bowl. Dudgeon was replaced by Kashif, while Middlesex drafted in Stephen Eskinazi in place of Sam Robson.

A crowd of over 1200 watched a morning session that was played out to a constant chorus of groaning from the home fielders, with almost every delivery troubling the batters.

Nathan Fernandes made just 4 before Gilchrist sent his off stump cartwheeling and Stewart then cleaned up Eskinazi for 14 in almost identical fashion.

Leus Du Plooy ground out 25 before charging down the wicket to Kashif and getting caught behind. Middlesex, however, made it to 89 for 3 at lunch.

Gilchrist then took charge getting Ryan Higgins in the second over of the afternoon, caught behind for 14, before he strangled Max Holden for 26. Ben Geddes skied Jas Singh to Joey Evison at backward point for 13 and Zafar Gohar was bowled by Kashif for 11, playing on middle, when the ball pitched on off and hit.

Roland-Jones went in almost identical fashion. He was put down twice by Ben Compton at short-leg in the 45th over, only to lose his off stump to Kashif's final delivery.

That left Middlesex on 150 for 8, but Cullen and Davies responded with a stand that was only broken when Singh bowled the former off stump for 33.

The next ball to Henry Brookes was nearly caught by Finch but ended up flying through the slip cordon for four. Brookes, however, added just another single before he nicked Stewart to Jack Leaning.

The suspicion that 222 might be a useful score deepened when Roland-Jones hit Crawley plumb on the knee-roll of his back pad. Daniel Bell-Drummond then went for 6, shouldering arms to Higgins.

Tawanda Muyeye went for a combative 29, nicking Cullen to Eskinazi at first slip, but Leaning lasted just three balls before Brookes had him caught behind. Evison drove his first ball from Cullen for four and was caught behind off the next and Compton was strangled for 32 to the same combination.

At that point it looked like the hosts might subside for under three figures but Stewart led the counterattack, hitting Roland-Jones back over his head for six and edging Kent closer to parity by stumps.