Top three all hit tons on record-breaking day as as Northants pile on the runs at Canterbury
Northants’ top three batters all hit centuries as they battered Kent on day one their Rothesay County Championship Division Two match at Canterbury, posting a whopping 409 for one.
Openers Ricardo Vasconcelos and Luke Proctor hit 127 and 131 not out respectively, as part of a record-breaking stand of 224 for the visitors against Kent - and when the partnership was finally broken, Calvin Harrison blazed an unbeaten 124.
Jas Singh was the only Kent bowler to take a wicket, recording figures of 95 for one before bad light stopped play.
It was an almost entirely joyless day for the majority of a crowd of 1,005 and an almost perfect one for the visitors.
Northants posted 722 for six at the St Lawrence last year, the highest ever score by any side against Kent, and with this, and several other chastenings, in mind, the hosts were reportedly preparing more bowler-friendly surfaces this year.
However, Northants chose to bat and Vasconcelos set the tone by flicking the final ball of Matt Milnes’ opening over for six.
The visitors coasted to 124 for none at lunch and Vasconcelos cracked the first ball of the afternoon, from Keith Dudgeon, through backward point for four.
Vasconcelos completed his 12th first-class century when he hit Singh for four through mid-wicket and the openers eclipsed Northants’ previous record for the first wicket against Kent, the 199 set by Alexander Snowden and Fred Bakewell at Dover in 1934.
Singh eventually got Vasconcelos caught behind, but Procter reached three figures when he hit Jaydn Denly over mid-on for four.
It was 299 for one at tea and Northants continued to dominate during the evening session.
Harrison, who suffered two failures batting at three in the opening match against Lancashire, brought up his century when he glanced Milnes to the fine leg boundary and the only real hint of a chance came when Tawanda Muyeye missed a difficult return catch when Procter was on 120.
The players went off for what was deemed bad light with 4.5 overs remaining and play was abandoned for the day.
It was only the second time Northants’ top three have all made centuries: the previous occasion was against Worcestershire at Northampton 2002, when Mike Hussey, Mal Loye and Russell Warren all recorded tons.
By Fred Atkins, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay