COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, The Rose Bowl:
CLOSE OF PLAY DAY ONE: Hampshire 51-2, Kent 251
Hants 3pts, Kent 2pts
Match scorecard

Former England all-rounder Cork turns 39 in August

Veteran seamer Dominic Cork claimed five wickets as Hampshire took control over Kent on day one at The Rose Bowl.

After Kent won the toss, Joe Denly (67) and Sam Northeast (50) helped them to 172-3 before Cork (5-50) intervened.

The visitors lost five wickets for 19 runs to slip to 191-8 and were eventually bowled out for 251 as Cork moved to 944 career wickets.

Hampshire then lost Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson in moving to 51-2 at the close, exactly 200 behind.

Cork had Kent skipper Rob Key caught and bowled in the 11th over of the day before Geraint Jones and Martin van Jaarsveld also fell cheaply.

606: DEBATE I could bowl Kent out for 70 with an apple Blackbelt Steve

Denly and Northeast then combined for a fourth-wicket stand of 74, but when they both fell to David Balcombe - caught by wicketkeeper Nic Pothas and second slip Neil McKenzie respectively - Cork returned to do his major damage.

James Hockley and Simon Cook were both bowled by moving deliveries and Malinga Bandara edged through to Pothas.

The Kent tail then provided some resistance as Alex Blake, Amjad Khan and Robbie Joseph gave the tally some respectability before Cork and left-arm spinner Danny Briggs (2-26) combined to take the last two wickets.

In-form Adams, with England selector James Whitaker watching on, then fended his first ball - a rising delivery from Khan - to Northeast at short leg while Dawson (26) edged Joseph to van Jaarsveld at slip.

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