Key's century dominates

Leicestershire 131 Kent 183-4

When Kent visited last season, four Leicestershire batsmen made hundreds and still finished on the losing side. With Surrey threatening to pull away in the Frizzell County Championship, the county currently occupying second place would forfeit individual achievement for the opposite result this week but, as Kent's bowlers exploited difficult conditions, it appeared for a while yesterday they would struggle to reach three figures collectively.

Leicestershire could blame their own careless strokes to a degree. However, on a pitch prone to unpredictable bounce and with Kent's eager seamers finding movement in the air and off the surface, batting was perpetually hazardous. Five down for 56 before lunch, Leicestershire struggled uncertainly to 131 before the wicket of Devon Malcolm gave Martin Saggers figures of 5-44. From Kent's viewpoint, it was a good toss to win, although one suspects Leicestershire might have batted anyway had the coin fallen in their captain's favour. It is hard to imagine Vince Wells asking for a pitch of this nature if he is serious about catching Surrey.

In the event, the runs flowed only when Kent batted, and in particular Robert Key, whose dominance of the later part of the day was hugely impressive. The 23-year-old opener's unbeaten 103 contained 19 boundaries. By the close, Kent led by 52 runs with six wickets still in hand, although should Key be an early casualty today, Leicestershire would be squarely back in contention.

Against markedly poorer bowling than Leicestershire had faced, Key and Andrew Symonds were able to add 99 in 15 overs for the third wicket before the latter chopped a ball from Darren Maddy on to his stumps. Key's 854 Championship runs this season put him on course to pass 1,000 for the second year running and there is a view that were he a left-hander, he would already be playing for England.

Earlier, Saggers had claimed five wickets in a innings for the fifth time this season, the wicket of the in-form Darren Stevens as vital as any. David Masters, 4-36, took his chance well after a late call-up and only an unbeaten 40 from Neil Burns spared Leicestershire deeper embarrassment.