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Day 1: Brief return

D J Rutnagur at Lord's

First day of four: Middlesex 16-1 v Kent

There were interludes of blue skies and bright sunshine which belonged to mid-summer, but they were interspersed with squalls of rain, flurries of snow and a substantial hailstorm which combined to restrict play on a bitterly cold opening day of the season at Lord's to only 61 balls.

The unfinished 11th over might well have been completed had the groundstaff not overlooked to plant a set of stumps at the pavilion end at the start of play and kept the players waiting for three minutes.

Matthew Fleming won his first toss as Kent's captain and elected to bowl, a decision which was justified by the testing accuracy of Dean Headley and Julian Thomson.

Headley achieved Kent's one success of the day, ending Mike Roseberry's comeback innings for Middlesex with a ball of pace and fullness of length. It was too good a ball to receive right after the start of the last of the three brief sessions of play.

Nevertheless, Roseberry said: ``It is great to be back here. The boys have been so good to me that it doesn't feel like I have been away for four years.''

Runs were hard to get and Kent might have conceded even fewer had a third man been posted, Justin Langer scoring seven of his 10 runs with steers, including the only boundary of a frustrating day. The scoring was done mostly with pushes and nudges square of the wicket.

Day 2: Nash leads the late resistance

D J Rutnagur at Lord's

Second day of four: Kent (21-1) trail Middlesex (254) by 233 runs.

Middlesex, midway through the afternoon, were toiling at 137 for six despite a typically gritty 55 from Justin Langer. The total they eventually achieved, with their last four wickets raising 117 runs, not only represented riches, but a spirit of defiance which they so woefully lacked last season.

At the heart of the recovery was their wicketkeeper, David Nash, with a sturdy, chanceless 62 not out.

The dire weather forecast proved inaccurate and although the bitter chill of the previous day persisted, the sun was in evidence for most of the day and the light held for play to continue until 6.56pm, the delay in finishing being caused by Kent's slow over rate.

One or two of the groundstaff must have suffered frostbite for their first task of the morning was to scrape ice off the covers. Underneath was a pitch that allowed consistent movement off the seam and the grim character of Langer's innings of 205 minutes was to be acclaimed.

Not a few of the Australian's good shots were checked by the heavy outfield, but he still contrived to hit six fours.

At 48, Mark Ramprakash, who had looked established, edged a drive. Three runs later, Richard Kettleborough met a ball that left him to set Julian Thompson on the way to his career-best figures of four for 61. Owais Shah batted doggedly, yet confidently, for 66 minutes, but then lost his patience and played across the line at Fleming.

Langer, who scored five centuries during the winter, including three in Test matches, left 20 minutes after lunch, slicing a drive, and Paul Weekes, so dogged in support of Langer, had a rush of blood and holed out.

On the evidence of Middlesex's 1998 debacles, the groundsman would have been justified in starting up his roller at that point. But Nash would not yield. He had brave support from James Hewitt and Richard Johnson.

Simon Cook, the debutant, was out first ball, but gained compensation by claiming his maiden wicket, that of Ed Smith, in his fourth over.

Day 3: Symonds makes up for lost time

D J Rutnagur at Lord's

Third day of four: Middlesex (254 & 29-1) trail Kent (286) by three runs

The chill in the air and the inordinately early start to the season have put a premium on runs in the opening round of matches in the championship and circumspection has been the keynote of most innings of substance played so far. A glittering exception was one of 69 staged yesterday by Andrew Symonds, whose natural habitat is tropical Queensland.

It was two years ago that Symonds last played in England and broke off his connection with Gloucestershire in controversial circumstances. He has returned to the English game as if intent on making up for lost time.

He reacquainted himself with conditions here with a thunderous 123 off 131 balls last Friday in a friendly against Essex and batted with the same refreshing exuberance yesterday in hitting nine fours, the bulk of them through the covers and point, and a lapped six off Philip Tufnell, while facing 89 balls.

Kent also profited from a staid 86 by Robert Key, who stayed entrenched for over five hours and faced 254 balls. There was a spirit of adventure in the 43 made by their deposed captain, Steve Marsh, at a time of crisis. But otherwise the feature of the day's cricket was the closeness of the contest, with little daylight between the rivals at the end of the first innings, an hour before the close of play.

A couple of balls, one from Simon Cook and one from Jamie Hewitt, who took his fifth haul of five wickets or more, bounced awkwardly during the opening skirmishes and Middlesex availed of the early help the pitch afforded to dismiss Trevor Ward and Alan Wells.

Ward lay back to pull a ball that grew big on him, forcing a mis-hit, while Wells was well caught by David Nash, trying to drive.

But Key was solid and assured and Symonds immediately established such authority that runs began to flow in. If Symonds played a false stroke, it was a lofted off-drive, at 30, which Mike Roseberry attempted to catch at the cost of a bruise on his thumb severe enough to prevent him opening Middlesex's second innings.

The pair added 105 - with Key contributing 31 - from 30 overs and then, half-an-hour after lunch, Symonds, driving lavishly at Hewitt, was superbly caught at square cover by Mark Ramprakash. Grimness returned to Kent's batting, but Matthew Walker, caught from a square-cut, and Key, caught at short-leg off Tufnell, were gone before Kent overtook Middlesex's modest score, thanks to Marsh's flourish and a wag of the tail.

Day 4: Langer ruthless in punishing Kent

D J Rutnagur at Lord's

Middlesex (254 & 381-4) drew with Kent (286).

The loss of almost all of the first day's play proved a millstone that the combatants were unable to cast off their backs. On a pitch that had become bland, Kent's bowlers were unable to take wickets and Middlesex were never in a position to issue any sort of challenge.

Although the fate of the match was sealed quite early in the day, Justin Langer's appetite for runs was not dulled. Nor did his concentration waver. The 30th three-figure innings of his career swelled into his sixth double-century, an unbeaten 241, his highest score for Middlesex.

The season is young but, on the evidence of this match, the prospect of a drop into the second division next year may have rendered joke bowling and contrived finishes things of the past, more so with rewards for a draw increased.

Kent had an opportunity to establish a grip on the match in the first 15 minutes when Dean Headley induced an edge from Langer, only 15 then in a total of 35 for one. Robert Key, at first slip, dropped the chance but might have been distracted by Steve Marsh, the wicketkeeper, shaping as if to attempt the catch.

Hewitt, the nightwatchman, was also put down and he and Langer stayed entrenched until 12 minutes before lunch, adding 99 for the second wicket. Mark Ramprakash went 25 minutes after the resumption, playing on off Headley. But Langer and Owais Shah virtually settled the issue with a stand of 88.

Langer, who batted 352 minutes and faced 276 balls, bent the bowling to his will and hit 30 fours and three sixes, the last of them, a pull off Andrew Symonds, ending up in the back of the top tier of the Warner Stand.