TUNBRIDGE WELLS

(day one of four): Somerset won toss

Somerset 208 all out; Kent 85 for three

Lunch

Ryan McLaren found himself on a hat-trick and Robbie Joseph two wickets in three balls this morning as Kent shocked Somerset at Tunbridge Wells.

Marcus Trescothick and Ian Blackwell, respectively survived the hat-trick balls, but neither survived the slump which saw Somerset limp onto 80 for five by lunch.

McLaren made the initial breakthroughs, after Somerset had won the toss and reached 31 without loss or alarms.

Neil Edwards edged behind in McLaren’s first over, the 11th of the innings, and then Justin Langer was beaten and bowled by an inswinger the first ball.

Trescothick was third out, under-edging a cut in Joseph’s first over to second slip. Zander de Bruyn was lbw second ball, and Blackwell also failed to see out the first session, lbw to Yasir Arafat although there seemed more than a hint of an inside edge.

Tea

Kent struck again immediately after lunch when McLaren had James Hildreth lbw for 22, leaving Somerset on a precarious 82 for 6.

The ball was still swinging for the Kent seamers, but Peter Trego and Craig Kieswetter counterattacked and added 54 in just eight overs before McLaren also had Kieswetter caught at first slip.

Trego and Ben Phillips then put on a further 39, before Joseph returned to have Trego well caught by a tumbling Geraint Jones for 49.

Somerset's tail did take the total beyond 200 but Joseph and McLaren both took a further wicket as Somerset were bowled out for 208. McLaren finished with 5 for 31, and Joseph with 4 for 67.

Close

Kent lost Joe Denly to the first ball of their reply, bowled by Charl Willoughby, but James Tredwell, promoted to number three, helped his captain Rob Key to take the score to 31 in largely untroubled fashion until he was adjudged lbw to Pete Trego for 9 on the front foot.

Key and Martin Van Jaarsveld looked like seeing the day out as they took the Kent total to 78 but in the penultimate over Key was also LBW’d to Trego for 48.

Martin Saggers, the night watchman, negotiated the time remaining and, with Van Jaarsveld on 21 not out, Kent ended the day at 85 for 3.