COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Canterbury:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Somerset 363-7 v Kent
Somerset 4pts, Kent 2pts
Match scorecard

The partnership between Suppiah (left) and Hildreth spanned 59.5 overs

Arul Suppiah and James Hildreth shared 253 for the fourth wicket to bat Somerset into a strong position on day one against Kent at Canterbury.

The pair came together with the County Championship title hopefuls in trouble on 59-3.

But Suppiah (125) and Hildreth (151) dominated the home attack to share the county's highest partnership for any wicket against Kent.

Both fell to spinner James Tredwell late on as Somerset closed on 363-7.

Their stand, Somerset's best of the season, ended a record that had stood for 112 years as it beat the 240 put on by Sammy Woods and Vernon Hill at Taunton in 1898.

And it certainly put Kent on the back foot after they had been buoyed by three wickets before lunch, including the prize scalp of visiting captain and former England opener Marcus Trescothick, caught at third slip off Azhar Mahmood, for only five.

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For Malaysian Suppiah, completing a first Championship century of the summer was also the perfect way to celebrate being granted permanent leave to stay in the country by the Home Office 24 hours earlier.

Their stand was finally ended when Suppiah was caught at deep mid-wicket by Darren Stevens slog sweeping Tredwell, with Hildreth top-edging to Rob Key at short fine leg shortly after.

Peter Trego was then run out when Craig Kieswetter set off for a tight third to long-on and two overs from the close Ben Phillips became the seventh wicket to fall when he edged Mahmood to slip.

Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens told BBC Radio Kent:

"The game's probably about even now, Hildreth and Suppiah were running away with it, and it was pretty criminal both of them getting out in a couple of overs.

"It's hard watching two batsmen who are well set, it's hard work too. We tried playing the patience game with them, bowling from a different side of the wicket and attacking them, none of which worked.

"All you can do is try and make sure they go for as few runs as possible in an over, and eventually make a mistake."

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