Daniel Bell-Drummond scored his maiden career double century on day one of Kent’s game against Loughborough MCCU at Canterbury.
In their final outing before the County Championship gets underway this weekend, Kent made hay on the first day of the First Class fixture, with Bell-Drummond starring with an unbeaten 206 in Kent’s total of 393/7 declared.
With only three overs of the Loughborough MCCU reply then available before the close, the home side picked up two quick wickets, leaving the students 2/2 at stumps at the end of the first day.
Bell-Drummond spent time in Dubai with the England Lions over the winter, and kicked off his 2016 campaign strongly in this three-day match at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.
The opening batsman’s 246-ball knock included 28 boundaries, and saw him carry his bat through the entire innings, with both Sam Northeast (65) and Matt Coles (60) also registering fifties.
22-year-old Bell-Drummond started the First Class season in the best possible manner, gaining some valuable time at the crease and making a stack of runs in the process. Jimmy Adams had spoken about the side taking this university fixture more seriously than they had done in previous years, emphasising its First Class status, and the Kent Head Coach will have been delighted with what he saw from his young opener.
Kent then picked up two quick wickets before the close of play, with Coles trapping Hasan Azad lbw for a golden duck from the very first ball of the Loughborough reply, and Darren Stevens removing Charlie Thurston.
Play will begin again at 11am at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, tomorrow, with free entry and parking for spectators.
Stumps, day one: Kent v Loughborough MCCU at Canterbury, Apr 5-7, 2016:
Loughborough MCCU 2/2 trail Kent 393/7 declared (Bell-Drummond 206 not out, Northeast 65, Coles 60; Cook 3-64) by 391 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the first innings
Full scorecard available here.
Photograph courtesy of Sarah Ansell Photography