Match Report: Kent v Derbyshire day 1

Wayne Madsen

A wonderful spell of seam bowling in the finest Derbyshire traditions by Tony Palladino enabled us to shade the first day at Canterbury, despite a century for the precociously talented Daniel Bell-Drummond.

I don't suppose Kent will be too upset at topping 250, which keeps them very much in the game, but we need to dispose of the last two wickets quickly tomorrow and then bat for a long time. A dry surface suggests that batting last will be no picnic. But, as talented a prospect as he is, Adam Riley is no Saeed Ajmal, and we really shouldn't be unduly fazed at this stage of his development.

I feared the worst when we lost the toss, but the seamers stuck to their task well and Palladino was quite superb. Mark Footitt said before the game that Tony had been bowling well with little luck, something that happens to all bowlers at one time or another. Today he got his reward at the end of the day, having spent most of a hot one bowling with commendable accuracy. Twenty-three overs for only 54 runs and five wickets is a wonderful effort, and he deserves full credit for it.

Tom Taylor did well, too; his early spell was challenging and skilled. This run in the side will do him no harm at all, and we will undoubtedly reap the rewards for it in the summers ahead. Meanwhile, David Wainwright had a lengthy spell that kept the pressure on, and Derbyshire's attack can be proud of their efforts today.

So too can Wayne Madsen, whose decision to hold fire on the new ball until his seamers could give it a twelve-over blast at the end of the day was shrewd captaincy. Like all skippers, he will make mistakes, and, like the better ones, he will learn from them. We can ask no more than that.

In conclusion, it is nice to report on a good day for the team, and I hope I can say the same this time tomorrow.