TROPHY ROUND-UP

Kent’s Kuhn hits first ton on opening Trophy day

KENT’S Heino Kuhn scored the first century in the Bob Willis Trophy on a tough day for County Championship winners Essex.

Tom Westley’s first day as captain since replacing Ryan Ten Doeschate in the winter proved tricky, with the visitors ending on 344 for six.

Kuhn’s innings of 140 not out was the bedrock of a superb total for Kent, who were indebted to Ollie Robinson’s 78.

Kuhn was not the only man to hit 100 in the South Group, with Nick Gubbins unbeaten 150 guiding Middlesex to 264 for four against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

Surrey’s stand-in captain Rikki Clarke was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts with two for 33.

Wickets tumbled in the other South Group fixture, where Hampshire dismissed Sussex for 176.

Phil Salt top scored for the home side with 68, and they fought back to reduce the visitors to 77 for four, with Ollie Robinson the pick of the bowlers with two for 29.

England’s Olly Stone showed his class with a four-wicket haul for Warwickshire at home to Northamptonshire in the Central Group.

Only 29 not out from Luke Procter enabled the visitors to reach 142 at Edgbaston and Robert Yates’ unbeaten half-century had the hosts just 13 runs away from a lead going into the second day.

Elsewhere in the Central Group, Charlie Morris inspired a late Worcestershire fightback at Gloucestershire with three wickets in 18 balls.

A 127-run partnership between Chris Dent (92) and Graeme Van Buuren had their team on 205 for two, but they then lost six wickets for 41 runs.

Wicketkeeper Steven Davies and Jack Brooks frustrated Glamorgan with a 107-run 10th-wicket partnership at Taunton to help Somerset post 296 all out.

Ruaidhri Smith’s three for 41 had the 2019 County Championship runners-up in all sorts of trouble on 149 for eight.

But Davies stuck around to score 81 not out and Brooks hit a sparkling 72 off only 58 balls.

Lancashire captain Dane Vilas fell 10 short of a century after he helped his side fight back from a poor start. The Red Rose ended an encouraging day one against Leicestershire on 265 for six after Steven Croft added 63.

Ex-lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed struck 68 on his first appearance for new county Nottinghamshire against Derbyshire.

The Trent Bridge club started well an opening partnership of 111, but Chris Nash’s departure for 59 saw them collapse to 192 for seven.

It took some lusty blows from Samit Patel in his 63 to get them up to 324 before Derbyshire ended the day on nine without loss.