Paul Nixon gets Kent a bonus batting point

Paul Nixon the Kent wicketkeeper helped himself to a county championship best of 92 not out and helped Kent gain a bonus batting point as they ended the day at 268 for 9 after being 170 for 8 at one stage against Hampshire at Canterbury. Nixon negotiated dangermen Alan Mullaly (5 for 67) and Shane Warne (3 for 88) successfully.

Warne who arrived at the ground just two hours before the start of play showed no signs of jet lag and immediately got into the act by taking the wicket of Ed Smith off his fifth ball. He then scalped the wickets of stand-in captain Alan Wells and a gritty Matthew Walker (47).

Kent were 198 for 9 after Mullally picked up his fifth wicket of the innings, his fifth such haul in the last seven innings. But Nixon made sure of a batting point for Kent when he and last man David Masters put on an unfinished 70 in 19 overs.

Earlier Mullaly ripped through the Kent line up by claiming the first three wickets for four runs after Alan Wells the stand-in skipper won the toss and chose to bat.