Hants tighten their grip at Derby

Hampshire's batsmen dominated the opening day at Derby to leave Derbyshire regretting their decision to put the visitors in.

Although Graeme Welch bowled Giles White in the third over of the morning, the rest of the day was hard work for the bowlers on a good batting pitch.

Four batsmen went past fifty and although no one made a century, Hampshire were well placed at the close on 344-6.

Derbyshire's decision to bowl first could have been based on early cloud cover but the batsmen enjoyed themselves after White deflected a ball he was trying to leave into his stumps.

Derek Kenway and Will Kendall took the score on to 134 before Kenway was caught behind sweeping at Richard Illingworth for 57 and although Robin Smith failed, Neil Johnson played his best innings for Hampshire.

With Kendall, he took Hampshire to a first batting point in the 62nd over and Kendall was six away from a hundred when he gloved a ball from off-spinner Nathan Dumelow that bounced to give Karl Krikken his 500th first-class victim.

Johnson was lbw for 53 hitting across a full length ball from Tim Munton but Lawrence Prittipaul played elegantly to reach 50 off 66 balls.

He scored 152 against Derbyshire last season and was set for another century when he tried to cut Rob Bailey and was smartly caught at slip by Michael Di Venuto for 84 but it was still very much Hampshire's day.