Kent took early wickets as Lancashire edged ahead on a wicket-laden first day of the Rothesay County Championship Division 2 match at Blackpool on Friday.
White-ball specialist Liam Livingstone – marking his first red-ball in nearly five years – took the last five wickets for 20 runs in 46 balls with a mixture of off-spin and leg-spin as the visitors lost their last eight wickets for 67 runs, collapsing from 111-2 at tea to 178 all out.
Opener Ben Dawkins had earlier made 54 for Kent, who struck back when South African overseas player Keith Dudgeon bowled Harry Singh for a duck.
And Lancashire suffered another blow 10 balls before the close when Keaton Jennings was leg-before to Dudgeon (2-5) for 13 and the home side finished the day 17-2.
“It was very tricky to bat out there and it was key that Daniel Bell-Drummond and I put a partnership together,” said Dawkins. “It was a tough pitch to score on and the outfield was quite slow, as well, which made things even harder.
“We just had to try and pick the correct ball to go at and they bowled very well, which made things even harder. There was variable bounce early on but I think it was still a bit damp underneath.
“It’s can be difficult to bat after lunch and tea – but that’s a skill you have to learn. It was key to get those two wickets at the end of the day.
“We put it in great areas and made them play as much as possible.”
Morning rain delayed the start of play at Stanley Park until 1.10pm and Lancashire’s decision to bowl after a damp morning was initially justified in the fourth over when Harry Finch drove the veteran Jimmy Anderson (2-13) to Jennings in the gully and departed for two.
The home side maintained their dominance throughout a first hour in which only 23 runs were scored in 14 overs and they made their next breakthrough immediately afterwards when Sam Northeast was bowled for 10 when he played inside a ball from George Balderson (1-43).
But having scored only three runs in that cautious first hour, Dawkins seized upon every opportunity to get the scoreboard moving, pulling a Livingstone long hop (5-55) for six.
The opener reached his 50 off 114 balls just before tea, with Dawkins on 54 and Daniel Bell-Drummond on 33.
That secure progress in the hour before the break contrasted sharply with the visitors’ disintegration immediately after play resumed.
Three wickets were lost in three balls without addition to the score.
Bell-Drummond edged Anderson’s last ball of the first over after tea to Lancashire’s 17-year-old wicketkeeper, Joe Moores, making his first-class debut.
Dawkins was then lbw to Tom Bailey (2-23) and Chris Benjamin was bowled to leave Kent 111-5.
Bowling from the North End, 32-year-old Livingstone accelerated Kent’s slide.
He had Bertie Foreman caught at point by Bailey for six, Ekansh Singh snaffled at backward short leg by Josh Bohannon for 17 when sweeping, and Dudgeon stumped down the leg side by Moores for three.
Kent’s last two batsmen were then both caught in the deep.
Matt Milnes holed out for 22 at long-on, where Bailey took the catch, and Tom Aspinwall caught ex-Lancashire player Matt Parkinson at deep mid-wicket for 11.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay
