Leicestershire 149 for 6 (Eckersley 45*) lead Kent 104 (Chappell 3-14) by 45 runs
Scorecard
Leicestershire's Ned Eckersley took five catches and top-scored on an attritional but fascinating opening day of Specsavers County Championship cricket against title-chasing Kent in Canterbury.
On a day when 16 wickets fell, Leicestershire went in at stumps on 149 for 6 with Eckersley unbeaten with 45 as the Foxes, after skittling Kent for 104, earned a precious 45-run lead to take into day two.
Responding to Kent's quickfire 37.5-over first innings, Leicestershire lost their first wicket to the third ball of their reply when Harry Dearden edged behind off the bowling of Harry Podmore.
With 17 on the board Colin Ackermann, seemingly transfixed by a Darren Stevens away-swinger, dutifully followed the line to steer a catch to Zak Crawley at third slip.
The experienced duo of Mark Cosgrove and Paul Horton joined forces to add 30 until Horton nibbled at one from Ivan Thomas to be caught behind. Then Cosgrove departed soon after, lbw to a Grant Stewart inducker that may well have missed the left-hander's leg stump.
Leicestershire's fifth-wicket partners Neil Dexter (41) and Ned Eckersley added 70 either side of tea to bring some normality to the game and take their side into the lead before, Kent served to spin for the first time in the match.
However, Joe Denly's opening over leaked 10 runs and he was immediately replaced by Thomas, who broke the stand and bagged his second scalp of the afternoon with his second ball of a new spell by plucking out Dexter's off stump with a leg-cutter.
Denly was entrusted with the day's final over and he made an immediate impact by having Raine caught at slip to lift Kentish spirits late in the day.
Kent, batting first after an uncontested toss, might have lost opener Sean Dickson in the sixth over but Leicestershire keeper Eckersley downed a tough diving chance off Ben Raine.
Nine balls later Eckersley atoned for his blunder by catching a more tricky chance off the same bowler when Daniel Bell-Drummond feathered a late away-swinger for the keeper to dive in front of slip and pouch the chance.
Raine's next delivery, another full away-swinger, squared up Heino Kuhn into a crab-like defensive prod and plucked out off stump and send the South African packing for a golden duck.
Denly duly survived the hat-trick but, with only five against his name, the right-hander nibbled an airy drive through to the keeper against Zak Chappell to make it 44 for 3.
Raine gave way after a spell of 7-1-20-2 to be replaced at the Nackington Road End by Gavin Griffiths, who soon gave Eckersley his third catch of the opening session. Angling one in from wide of the crease, Griffiths forced Dickson to spar outside off and nick behind.
Kent skipper Sam Billings looked solid in reaching double figures but he then failed to smother a Chappell lifter and played the ball onto the base of his off stump.
Stevens was given a life on 5 when Eckersley downed another chance diving leg-side off Chappell, but he instantly made amends by pouching a fourth catch when Crawley feathered the very next delivery to send Kent into lunch on 73 for six.
The home demise continued after the resumption as the hosts lost their last for wickets for 31 runs and in the space of 8.5 overs. Podmore and Stewart went leg before to consecutive Dexter deliveries, leaving Muhammad Abbas and Raine to polish the job off. Raine finished with three for 39, Chappell three for 14, while Dexter took two for 11.
