Wiltshire fall just short as Nash embarrasses Kent

Kent were given a real scare by Wiltshire at Salisbury where the minor county came within 10 runs of knocking their more illustrious opponents out of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in the first round yesterday.

Kent were given a real scare by Wiltshire at Salisbury where the minor county came within 10 runs of knocking their more illustrious opponents out of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in the first round yesterday.

Having dismissed the visitors for 160 inside 47 overs, Wiltshire were bowled out for 151 with five balls remaining in a closer finish than the first-class team would have wanted. Kevin Nash was the home side's hero with 4 for 46, returning late on to remove top scorer Michael Carberry (46) and two tailenders after dismissing the England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones early in the innings.

The dismissal of Jones' international team-mate Robert Key for a duck with only 11 on the board gave Kent an indication of what the rest of the day had in store. Soon the visitors were wobbling on 72 for 5 but Carberry and Matthew Walker prevented further embarrassment with a partnership of 42 before the return of Nash hastened Kent's demise.

Wiltshire's reply began badlybut captain Russell Rowe (29) and Michael Coles (32) put the hosts back on a firmer footing. Once they had departed the innings lost its momentum until the arrival of Richard Bedbrook. He hit a well-paced 24 not out in 35 balls but ran out of time and partners as Simon Cook finished with 4 for 22 from 9.1 overs to spare Kent's blushes.

Charl Pietersen enjoyed a dream C & G Trophy debut for Northamptonshire as Denmark collapsed to the lowest score in the competition's history - the home side making just 56.

The South African Pietersen took 7 for 10 off eight overs to skittle out the Danes at Svanholm in a match that was all over by 1.15pm. No Danish batsman made double figures as Pietersen ran riot in favourable conditions, with 24 extras edging the hosts past 50.

The 22-year-old left-armer said: "The ball was swinging about and they were perfect conditions for bowling. I got lucky with a couple of wickets but any bowler is happy to take seven."

The Danes refused to lie down in the field, however, with the Northamptonshire openers Bilal Shafayat and Martin Love both caught behind by the wicketkeeper Darren Treumer before Tim Roberts steered the visitors home with a quickfire 20.

Two Matthew Hoggard wickets put Yorkshire in the driving seat before the weather intervened to leave Ireland struggling on 33 for 3 in Belfast.

The England captain Michael Vaughan was playing his first match of the summer but it was his opening bowler, Hoggard, who lit up a dreary day with the wickets of the Irish captain Jason Molins and Andre Botha as the hosts struggled to come to terms with bowler-friendly conditions.

The all-rounder Tim Bresnan had already taken the first Irish scalp when he trapped the Australian Jeremy Bray in front for a golden duck with the score on just 1.