Kent toiled in the field on day one of their Rothesay County Championship Division 2 match against Glamorgan at Canterbury on Friday.
Asa Tribe made a career-best 94 while Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway then put on a stand of 133 runs for the fifth wicket before the former went for 70. Kellaway was unbeaten on 91 at stumps.
Ekansh Singh (0-24), reflecting on being handed his first-class Kent debut, said: “He (head coach Adam Hollioake) just said I’ve been batting really well in the second team and my time would come.
“I just needed to be patient – and that was what I was doing.”
The 18-year-old was handed his cap by team-mate and vastly-experienced former England batting all-rounder Joe Denly.
“He made quite a few jokes,” revealed Singh.
“But he’s helped me in the last couple of winters, with the Academy. He’s slung at me in the indoor centre and stuff.
“He’s been very helpful with me. It’s quite nice to learn from someone like him. Obviously, he’s got England experience, as well.
“It was nice for him to present my cap and the words he said.”
Kashif Ali took 4-75 to keep the hosts in it but, overall, the home team were well below-par, bowling 28 extras and putting in a sub-optimal fielding display after they had won the toss and chose to bowl.
The wicket looked green but conditions were variable.
Kashif made an early breakthrough in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 when he got Zain ul-Hassan caught at first slip by Tawanda Muyeye for 16.
That, however, was Kent’s only success in a near chanceless morning session that was summed up when Tribe swept the final ball of the session – a rank Jack Leaning (0-45) full toss – for four, leaving Glamorgan 128-1 at lunch.
Ex-Kent skipper Sam Northeast had looked well set on his return to The Spitfire Ground, but he was out soon after the resumption, edging Grant Stewart (1-49) to Muyeye for 42.
Italian international Stewart, however, was denied a second wicket in his next over when keeper Chris Benjamin missed a simple chance to get Tribe caught behind for 56.
The session was drifting when third slip Daniel Bell-Drummond pulled off an outstanding one-handed grab to remove Kiran Carlson for 16 after he flashed at Kashif.
Tribe was six runs shy of a maiden century when he played on to Matt Parkinson (1-97), but Ingram dumped spinner Parkinson back over his for six and reached 50 when he edged Leaning through the vacant second-slip area.
Kellaway took a single from Parkinson to reach his half-century and it was 271-4 at tea, after which Parkinson grew so exasperated when a half-chance didn’t carry that he threw his cap on the floor, earning a reprimand from the umpires.
The new ball immediately did for Ingram, however, Kashif getting him caught behind after a long discussion between the umpires. They agreed he’d gloved the ball and the Pakistan overseas player got his fourth wicket with a beauty that ripped out Chris Cooke’s off stump for 15.
Timm van der Gugten joined Kellaway and had moved to 17 when he was out to the fourth ball of the final over, lbw to George Garrett (1-89).
Singh reflected: “Obviously, they got off to a good start, but I thought we pulled that back really well.
“It could have been really easy for them to be three or four down.
“But we showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight to get them seven down by the end of the day.”
