Kent’s toothless bowling attack could not prevent Derbyshire from piling on the runs on day one of their season-ending Rothesay County Championship Division 2 game in Canterbury on Wednesday.
Opener Luis Reece batted all day and was unbeaten on 123 while Wayne Madsen was 147 not out, having passed 1,000 runs for the summer.
Their partnership was worth 231 runs – a Derbyshire record for the third wicket against Kent – as the visitors were 389-2 at the close.
Spinner Parkinson said: “It’s a decent pitch, a young team and a young bowling attack.
“When two players like Reece and Madsen are in on a decent pitch, it’s always going to be a difficult day.”
Reece’s fellow opener, Aneurin Donald, chipped in with 55 as the home bowlers struggled to make any impact.
It says something about the way Kent’s season has gone that the loudest applause of the day came midway through the afternoon session when it was announced a coffee machine had been fixed.
Third-placed Derbyshire chose to bat against a side guaranteed to finish bottom of Division 2 and the morning session went to form, with the visitors reaching 108-1 at lunch.
The sole victim was Donald, who was bowled leg-stump by Michael Cohen (1-57), shortly after he had driven him through the covers to bring up his 50.
When play resumed, Reece tickled a Grant Stewart (0-58) delivery down the leg-side for four to reach his half-century and, while Parkinson (1-96) had Harry Came stumped by Harry Finch for 35 at the start of the next over, Madsen joined Reece and reached four-figures for the first-class season – the eighth time he’s reached that milestone.
Derbyshire were then 238-2 by the tea interval.
Madsen took a single from Cohen to reach 50 and dumped Jaydn Denly (0-41) over cow corner for six.
Reece scampered a single off Parkinson to reach his century before he played a dreadful shot to the very next delivery, skying Parkinson straight to Ben Dawkins, who somehow dropped him.
Madsen took two from a Stewart no-ball to get to three figures, then overtook his partner before hitting a six from Corey Flintoff (0-62) that broke Derbyshire’s record stand for the third wicket, which had been the 202 runs put on by Chris Adams and Dean Jones in 1997 at the same venue.
Madsen nearly perished in the final over when he hit Parkinson to long-on, but Stewart couldn’t pick the flight of the ball and the chance went begging.
