CANTERBURY: Daniel Bell-Drummond’s sparkling hundred for Kent could not prevent Australia winning the opening match of their Ashes tour by 255 runs at Canterbury on Sunday.

Almost 40 years to the day since England great Colin Cowdrey made a match-winning 151 not out for Kent against Australia on the same St Lawrence Ground, Bell-Drummond delighted a new generation of fans with an innings of 127.

However, the 21-year-old’s effort was in a losing cause with Kent, set an improbable 550 for victory, bowled out for 294 in their second innings shortly after tea on Sunday’s fourth and final day.

After Australia had declared on their overnight 322 for four, opener Bell-Drummond — out for a duck in the first innings — looked in good touch.

He struck three fours in an over from fast bowler Ryan Harris including a fine straight drive.

Fellow opener Joe Denly made a brisk 22 before he was bowled middle stump by first change Peter Siddle.

Former England batsman Rob Key had anchored Kent’s first innings 280 — made in response to Australia’s imposing 507 for eight declared — with 87.

But Key could only manage 14 on Sunday before, for the second time in the match, he fell to leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.

Mitchell Marsh, who made a quickfire century in Australia’s second innings, continued to press his claim as a seam-bowling all-rounder in the side for the first Test against England at Cardiff on July 8, by having Kent captain Sam Northeast caught behind for 11.

Bell-Drummond, however, accelerated in style after getting to lunch on 66 not out.

He was especially severe on Fawad, taking 18 off one over from the leg-spinner including a cut four, a straight-drive six, another cut boundary and a clip off his legs to the mid-wicket rope.

Bell-Drummond, long regarded as one of England’s most promising young players, wasn’t finished with Ahmed as a pull for four and two successive sixes, in three balls from the spinner saw him to a 92-ball hundred.

What was just the seventh first-class century of Bell Drummond’s fledgling career contained 21 fours and three sixes.

He was eventually lbw to Harris.

Harris, who finished with figures of two for 59 in 14 overs, struck again to have Sam Billings caught in the gully by Shaun Marsh.

Australia have one more four-day match, against Essex in Chelmsford starting on Wednesday, before they begin the defence of the Ashes.

Brief scores:

AUSTRALIA 507-8 declared (S.E. Marsh 114, S.P.D. Smith 111, C.J.L. Rogers 84, M.J. Clarke 56, B.J. Haddin 35, M.G. Johnson 32 not out, M.R. Marsh 30; M.D. Hunn 5-99) and 322-4 declared (M.R. Marsh 101, S.R. Watson 81, M.J. Clarke 47, C.J.L. Rogers 45; A.E.N. Riley 3-114); KENT 280 (R.W.T. Key 87, A.J. Ball 45, J.L. Denly 36; M.G. Johnson 4-56, R.J. Harris 2-51, Fawad Ahmed 2-82) and 294 (D.J. Bell-Drummond 127, M.E. Claydon 53, B.W. Harmison 31; S.P.D. Smith 3-54, R.J. Harris 2-59, Fawad Ahmed 2-74).

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play