Kent 69 for 5 Sussex 181 (Singh 4-51) by 112 runs
The Sussexes reduced the Kent side to 69 for 5 on the first day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury on the first day of the Covid-19 scare, leaving them 112 behind a first innings score of 181 visitors.
Jamie Atkins took 3 for 21 and Ollie Robinson took 3 for 21 as Kent's provisional top-order failed to build on their best red-ball bowling performance of the season. Nineteen-year-old debutant Jas Singh took 4 for 51 and Harry Podmore took 3 for 49, while James Coles was Sussex's top scorer with 36.
Singh was one of five debutants selected after 14 members of Kent's first team squad were isolated after a positive PCR test.
"I think we actually talked to the group to take a step back after the situation in England where we were at the start of the season last year, when Covid was around us, to limit their access to people outside. To avoid busy areas like groups, pubs, bars, coffee houses and just make sure we're doing everything we can to stay mindful," said Kent coach Matt Walker. "Ironically, a few days later we had our first case.
"The results came back to us last night at 7 pm. Obviously it turned out to be a positive test and the crazy mayhem started, everyone involved was on deck. We were prepared in such a way that if that test was positive, our There were a few players on standby nearby which made things a little easier. Trying to arrange everything logically was a bit of a headache, but we got there in the end and managed to get a game in."
Kent's preparations for Canterbury Week came to a halt when an unidentified member of the Vitality Blast side that defeated Surrey on Friday tested positive for Covid-19. Since his teammates were all identified as close contacts, Heino Kuhn was named captain of an improvised XI that included five newcomers: Singh, Joe Gordon, Harry Finch, Dan Lincoln and Harry Huilen, regulars. From first-team Podmore, Matt Quinn was joined by Nathan Gilchrist and Marcus O'Riordan, while Hamid Qadri was picked for the first time this season.
The start was delayed until noon to allow Kent to register their new players and after winning the toss and bowling, they entered the field to applause.
"Luckily half the side wasn't at the Oval, so you got half the team," Walker said. "We didn't want to cancel the game, that's for sure. Getting 11 players as much as a challenge we thought we could do it. It's Canterbury week, it's festival week and I think That was our duty to build a team.
"It was late to sleep, that's for sure. The phone didn't stop ringing and pinging with texts until midnight, but I fell asleep pretty quickly as soon as the phone went off! That's why you get a chance to see what these young players can do."
Sussex openers Ali Orr and Tom Haines scored 50 for no loss but the former cut Singh and was brilliantly caught for 21 by O'Riordan. Singh then caught Haines for 25 in his next over, after the ball was held by Kuhn at first slip. Finch left Sussex for 2 for 51 at lunch.
Gilchrist trapped Harrison Ward for 4 and Travis Head carried Singh to Kuhn for 12. Singh took his fourth wicket when he caught Oliver Carter for 32, making him Huillon's first-class victim.
Qadri lbw Coles off his first ball, Gilchrist hit Dan Ibrahim for 6 and Podmore sweeps Tail, Robinson was dismissed for 21 before Sean Hunt was lbw and bowled to Atkins, both at zero.
However, Kent's batsmen struggled to emulate the valor of the bowlers. Gordon lbw Robinson for 8 runs, before Atkins lbw O'Riordan for 18 runs. The latter bowled Kuhn to 8 and Lincoln to zero. Robinson lbw Houlon for a duck before play was called off at 6.50 pm due to bad light, with former Sussex batsman Finch scoring 24 not out and Podmore 3 not out.