Bell-Drummond’s elegant 70 steers Kent to calmer waters

Kent 113 for 3 (Bell-Drummond 70, Leaning 30*, Worrall 2-33) vs Surrey

Daniel Bell-Drummond hit an elegant 70 as Kent reached 113 for 3 on day one of their Vitality County Championship with Surrey at Canterbury.

The in-form Kent skipper put on a stand of exactly 100 for the third wicket with Jack Leaning, who was 30 not out at stumps, after rain wiped out all but 11 balls of the first two sessions at the Spitfire Ground.

Dan Worrall took 2 for 33 to reduce Kent to 8 for 2 in the sixth over, but Surrey went 30 overs without a wicket before Tom Lawes broke the partnership when he had Bell-Drummond lbw shortly before the close.

The Kent and England legend Derek Underwood, who passed away on Monday aged 78, was honoured before the start of play, with both sets of players standing in front of the Underwood & Knott stand for a minute’s silence. Black armbands were worn and a moment was also taken to remember Raman Subba Row of Surrey, who died on Wednesday at the age of 92.

It was a bitterly cold day for the die-hards at the St. Lawrence and the weather wiped out 57 overs before conditions finally improved, or at least got less damp, late in the afternoon.

The visitors, who had do without Jamie Overton due to a back injury, won the toss and chose to bowl, but the start had already been delayed until 1.25pm and they managed just 11 deliveries before bad light forced them off again, the wind at that point being too strong for the floodlights to be used.

When play eventually resumed at 4.15pm, Surrey struck early. Zak Crawley’s first Kent appearance of the season saw him make just 5 before Worrall had him caught by Jamie Smith at third slip and in his next over he trapped Ben Compton lbw for three.

The partnership Kent urgently needed came when Leaning joined Bell-Drummond and they batted the home side into calmer waters.

Bell-Drummond, who already has two centuries this season, punched Worrall for four through cover to bring up his 50, but he fell in the third-last over of the day when he was trapped leg before by Lawes. Night-watcher George Garrett was unbeaten on one at stumps.

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