Kent collapsed as six wickets fell for seven runs in their first-innings total of 155 all out against Glamorgan in their County Championship Division 2 match in Cardiff on Tuesday.
Daniel Bell-Drummond top-scored with 42 in a day dominated by the bowlers where the much-disliked Kookaburra ball produced 14 wickets.
Kent also lost Joe Denly, who retired hurt. He pulled a muscle in his innings.
Timm van der Gugten and James Harris provided rewards for Glamorgan with 3-27 and 3-35, respectively, before Wes Agar demonstrated demolishing use of the new ball to rip into the hosts’ top order with 3-29, restricting Glamorgan to 125-4 in reply.
Director of cricket Simon Cook reflected: “It’s been an interesting day and an interesting pitch.
“At the start of the day, we didn’t know how it was going to play. It was patchy and cracked with a bit of movement in the plates so we would have had a bowl if we’d won the toss.
“We fought well with the bat before that unfortunate collapse, but the way the guys fought (with the ball) in that last long session was really good.”
Glamorgan opted to field first under overcast skies.
Ben Compton and Jaydn Denly dealt nearly exclusively in boundaries for their 37 runs before Asitha Fernando (1-43) struck – the division’s top run-scorer, Compton – caught behind.
Starts and falling cheaply continued to be the frustration for Kent. Denly dispatched loose Harris balls on his introduction before slapping another to cover.
The visitors’ positive start continued with an effectively 61-run third-wicket partnership (via the injury of Joe Denly), only for the all-action all-rounder Ben Kellaway (1-18) to find a way through Chris Benjamin, adjudged lbw.
From 111-2 at lunch and captain Bell-Drummond reaching 24 in minimal time thanks to four consecutive boundaries from Ned Leonard (0-29), the approach was forced to change, with the hosts tightening their bowling.
Glamorgan’s resurrected efforts with the ball started the monumental collapse with Joey Evison flashing at a wide delivery to give van der Gugten his first wicket of a six-over spell, which conceded just two runs.
Not long after, Kent were getting their whites on to take the field.
Bell-Drummond was next to be adjudged lbw off an in-swinger from Harris. Two in two balls came for van der Gugten before Zain Ul Hassan (1-0) and Harris finished the job to leave No.8 Stewart stranded and Joe Denly unable to return.
With the chance in the 42-over final session to close in on a lead before the end of day one, Glamorgan quickly learnt the task to overtake 155 wasn’t as easy as first thought.
Asa Tribe looked troubled from the outset before he inevitably chopped on to get Kent under way off Australian overseas player Agar.
Ul Hassan was more dogged in his approach, as has been the method for the originally makeshift, now first-choice opener for Glamorgan, who stuck around to see dismissals of Carlson and Billy Root before perishing himself.
Carlson appeared on a hangover from the T20 Vitality Blast, intensely running and latching upon boundaries for his 27, before he loosely drove to his downfall, caught behind.
Root never settled on his seasonal debut.
On the day 40-year-old Colin Ingram was announced to have a first coaching position, the veteran was still showcasing his playing abilities, taking a four and six from the same Evison (0-16) over.
The South African and Kellaway remained unscathed despite periods of concern and grit, including Ingram dropped on 27 late in the day, closing out the long session with a sorely-needed unbeaten partnership worth 47 runs.
It left the hosts 30 runs behind at the close.
“If we’d taken a chance to get Ingram, we’d have been really happy,” added Kent’s Cook.
“Ingram is the key batter so, if we can get him early, we’ll be well in the game.
“Wes has been doing a lot of work on technical stuff to get his zip back and that’s the quickest I’ve seen him bowl for a long time.”
