Kent’s decision to bat backfired at New Road as Worcestershire had much the better of the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two tussle.

Worcestershire closed the first day on 94 for 1 after bowling Kent out for 196. Olly Hannon-Dalby, his loan from Warwickshire extended for another four games, bowled superbly for 18-6-27-3, building pressure which debutant Beyers Swanepoel exploited to take 3 for 51. Kent’s total at least represented something of a recovery from 99 for 7, thanks to eighth-wicket pair Matt Milnes (50 from 61 balls) and Keith Dudgeon (38, 61).

Worcestershire completed a strong first home day of the season with Jake Libby 52 not out from 72 balls on a very good wicket. To provide such a good pitch, offering some help to the bowlers but also value to the batters when they played well, is an incredible effort by head groundsman Stephen Manfield and his team, considering that New Road was flooded six times during the winter.

Kent’s decision to bat was surprising and though Zak Crawley settled well, batting watchfully, he lost two partners in the first hour. Hannon-Dalby’s opening spell of 7-3-7-1 included the wicket of Ben Compton, caught by Ethan Brookes at second slip, and Swanepoel struck with his 15th delivery for Worcestershire which trapped Sam Northeast lbw. When Crawley (27, 42) edged to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick in Matthew Waite’s first over, three wickets had fallen in 29 balls.

Tawanda Muyeye and Daniel Bell-Drummond eked out 37 from 21 overs but Kent hit serious post-lunch turbulence. Four wickets fell for 24 runs in 46 balls, triggered by Bell-Drummond offering no shot at Swanepoel only to see the ball arrow in to knock out leg-stump. Hannon-Dalby produced perfect outswingers which Muyeye and Chris Benjamin edged to the ‘keeper. Joey Evison, dropped on five as one of three chances grassed by Adam Hose at first slip, reached only 14 before falling lbw to Waite.

That was 99 for 7 and Kent badly needed ballast. Milnes and Dudgeon supplied some with a composed and sensible stand of 50 in 14 overs. Swanepoel returned to oust the latter lbw and Matt Parkinson soon edged Tom Taylor behind but Milnes and last man Michael Cohen added 41 before the latter edged Brookes to supply Roderick’s fifth catch of the innings.

Daniel Lategan launched Worcestershire’s reply with a flurry of six fours in the first five overs. He then edged Milnes to third slip in search of a seventh boundary but it was a valuable cameo from the 19-year-old. It gave the innings early impetus on which Libby built with characteristic compactness to post a 67-ball half-century.