James Taylor marked his Kent debut with six wickets to help bowl out Gloucestershire for 325 on the opening day of the County Championship Division Two match in Bristol.
The 25-year-old seamer, starting a two-match loan from Surrey, took a career-best 6-52 from 23.1 overs as the hosts collapsed from a promising 287-4. Ben Charlesworth top-scored with 85, off 148 balls, with 13 fours, after Kent had won the toss and elected to field.
James Bracey contributed 57, Ollie Price 50 and 21-year-old Tommy Boorman a career-best 49 in his third first class match, while Keith Dudgeon deserved better than his figures of 2-63. In two overs before the close, Kent replied with one without loss.
Cameron Bancroft got the Gloucestershire innings under way with an edged four over the slips off the second ball of the day, sent down by Dudgeon. It was to prove a sign of things to come as Kent’s seamers bowled with little fortune.
Bancroft survived a confident lbw shout from Dudgeon on four and had progressed to only 12 when, with the total on 27, he edged Taylor to first slip where Zak Crawley took a low two-handed catch.
Charlesworth, on 20, edged Michael Cohen through the slips for four before playing and missing twice in the same over. But the powerful left-hander gradually grew in confidence and was unbeaten on 46 at lunch, which was taken at 96-1, Price having provided solid support in a half-century stand off 82 balls.
That became a century partnership off 170 deliveries in the afternoon session as Charlesworth was first to his fifty, having struck eight fours. Price followed to the same milestone, with nine boundaries, but the next ball from Taylor saw him edge a back-foot forcing shot to Dudgeon at third slip.
At 144-2, Gloucestershire were well placed and the total advanced 172 before Miles Hammond, on 12, fell leg-before to Dudgeon, who finally got the wicket he deserved. It was the last ball of the 52nd over and the first delivery of the next saw Charlesworth bowled off an inside edge by Joey Evison, driving at a wide one.
Tea was taken at 215-4, with Bracey having been joined by Boorman. Both batted well either side of the interval and brought up a half-century partnership in 87 balls.
Taylor twice went past the outside edge of Boorman’s bat in the 69th over as the pitch continued to offer seam movement. With the total advanced to 240, a short shower interrupted play, but it resumed at 17:25 BST and no overs were lost.
Bracey produced the most assured batting of the day, moving fluently to a 78-ball fifty, with eight fours. Boorman took more risks, but laced his innings with some sweetly-struck boundaries in taking the stand to the century mark off 140 deliveries.
It was a surprise when Bracey departed, lbw aiming to drive across the line to a ball from Evison, to make it 287-5, with the second new ball little more than two overs away. It was taken at 301-5 and the luckless Dudgeon soon had a confident shout against Graeme van Buuren for a catch behind rejected.
The former Gloucestershire captain has struggled for runs this season, but was positive from the outset. He had moved to 21 when edging Taylor to third slip to make it 309-6. Boorman quickly followed, caught behind driving at Dudgeon, having faced 99 balls and hit eight fours.
Matt Taylor became his namesake’s fourth victim, leg before, and from the next ball Will Williams was caught and bowled, the ball popping up off and inside edge onto his pad.
Kent’s Taylor completed a memorable day by bowling Ed Middleton, leaving Gloucestershire to reflect on losing their last five wickets for 16 runs.
