Kent rip through Gloucs order

Gloucestershire's top order limped to 131 for six on the opening day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash with Kent.

Three breaks for rain led to the loss of 42 overs when heavy showers finally halted play for the day at 6pm, shortly after Gloucestershire had lost their sixth wicket.

Bowling first after winning the toss, unchanged Kent made an immediate impact when Charlie Shreck, on his home debut, dismissed Chris Dent with only his second delivery from the St Lawrence Pavilion End.

Running a delivery back down the slope to the left-hander, Shreck found an inside edge for wicketkeeper Geraint Jones to pull off a low catch moving to his right.

Five overs later another home debutant, former Durham seamer Mark Davies, got in on the act by dismissing Richard Coughtrie for three - leg before wicket with a darting off-cutter which trapped the right-hander on his crease.

Visiting skipper Alex Gidman got a reprieve at third slip with his score on 10, but failed to capitalise when Matt Coles, who replaced Davies at the Nackington Road End, got a delivery to hold its line and give Jones a second catch of the morning behind the stumps.

On the stroke of lunch Coles bagged his second when another nip-back ball snared Hamish Marshall lbw to make it 67 for four at the interval.

Only a dozen balls after the resumption Benny Howell, released by Hampshire at the end of last season, became Coles' third victim when he too went lbw after scoring an attractive 44 from 74 balls, including six boundaries.

After another delay for rain, Kent struck again when Davies switched to the Pavilion End to send back Ian Cobain for a battling 32. Pushing at an off-cutter, the right-hander survived a huge shout for lbw only to be given out caught, as the ball had brushed the inside edge before ballooning off the pad to Coles at gully.

Much to Cobain's chagrin the rain became heavier after one more delivery and subsequently ended play for the day.

Coles, fresh from career-best figures of six for 51 in Kent's emphatic win against Northamptonshire in the previous round, ended the day with three for 37, while Davies gave accurate support with two for 19 from his 14 overs.