Lancashire on top despite Evison fifty

Vitality County Championship, Division One, Emirates Old Trafford (day one)

Kent 203-7: Evison 50*, Stewart 45, Crawley 41; Balderson 3-62

Lancashire: Yet to bat

Lancashire 2pts, Kent 0pts

Match scorecard

Kent all-rounder Joey Evison made his third fifty of the season but could not prevent Lancashire having the best of the first day of their County Championship match at Old Trafford.

Evison was unbeaten on 50 at the close, having put on 69 with Grant Stewart (45) for the seventh wicket, as Kent rallied to reach 203 for seven before play was ended for the day when rain arrived five overs into the evening session.

George Balderson took 3-62 for the home side, while Will Williams and Nathan Lyon claimed two wickets apiece, with the former needing one more to bring up 200 in first-class cricket.

Having been sent into bat, Kent started in watchful fashion as openers Ben Compton and Zak Crawley compiled 45 runs in 17 overs.

However, the visitors then lost four wickets for 27 runs, with Compton the first to go for 13 when he edged Balderson to wicketkeeper Matty Hurst.

Crawley stroked a trio of fine fours off successive balls from Balderson but was dismissed for 41 in the next over when his flat-footed cover drive to Williams merely nicked another catch to Hurst.

Kent captain Daniel Bell-Drummond fell soon after, edging Balderson to George Bell at third slip, and it became 72-4 when Balderson added the scalp of Jack Leaning for four.

Matters got no better for Kent after lunch when Harry Finch was pinned on the crease by Williams for three and when Joe Denly fell to Lyon for 18, the visitors looked in trouble at 129-6.

But Evison and Stewart joined forces and took the attack to Lancashire spinners Lyon and Tom Hartley.

The Australian eventually ended the stand when he had Stewart out nicking to slip to leave Lancashire on top before the rain came.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.