Day 1, Close: Gloucestershire 107-3 trail Kent 205 by 98 runs (PTS: Glos 3, Kent 2)
...but i've been rather busy. But nowhere better to blog than from the Cheltenham College pavilion balcony. This place is just truly wonderful and nothing replaces the anticipation on the first morning of a festival - particular when the opposition are a team that should be beaten.
Kent are a side horribly out of form. Rob Key also failed a fitness test this morning. At 59-6 I thought this was it, 90 at the most. But in Darren Stevens Kent have a quality campaigner who has guts. He's also bang in form.
Guts is what you need on the first morning of a match when the ball is wobbling slightly - and only slightly under heavy cloud; the pitch is a belter. Kent simply didn't play well enough and Gloucestershire, chiefly Will Gidman, put the ball in the right zones to force mistakes.
And it looked as if the game was already over at 91-1. Before a pesky rain break. A rain break that wouldn't have even had umpires considering interrupting play at any other standard. But first-class cricket demands the best so off they went for 15 minutes and it's amazing what happens to the brain when one breaks out of the zone.
Hugely disappointing for two players who looked a million dollars - Kane Williamson in particular. But to no avail, Gloucestershire are still well placed for 300 +.
LIVE ball-by-ball coverage continues tomorrow on www.gloscricketradio.com
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