Nathan McSweeney made his maiden three-figure score in the County Championship in just his second match of the campaign
Nathan McSweeney hit his first century in county cricket overnight while Jake Weatherald fell just short of achieving the same milestone.
South Australia skipper McSweeney smashed an 86-ball hundred as Northamptonshire piled on the pain against Kent racking up 2(dec)-684 in a one-sided first innings at St Lawrence Ground.
The Northants top three, Ricardo Vasconcelos (127), Luke Procter (261no) and Calvin Harrison (153), all hit centuries too, allowing McSweeney to enter the match at 2-472.
Yet it was all class from there as the two-time Sheffield Shield winner hit 10 fours and two sixes to race to his ninth first-class ton.
The joy would continue after the declaration for Darren Lehmann’s side, with Harry Conway again picking up two key wickets in Kent’s response.
It took the NSW seamer only 17 balls to have opener Ben Compton caught behind for six, but it was his dismissal of England Test regular Zak Crawley that was his true highlight of the day.
Crawley, who had moved to a patient 26 from 69 balls, was tempted into a trademark booming cover drive early in Conway’s second spell.
But the ball jagged back into the right-hander and knocked back the off stump, prompting a classic Conway celebration.
Over at The Oval, Weatherald was caught behind for 96 after a superb 156-run opening stand with Rishi Patel (133no).
Taking on the title favourites Surrey, the Test opener peppered the boundaries in his rollicking knock, which included hitting a couple of boundaries off fellow Aussie Sean Abbott (0-52).
Weatherald began with 17 off 39 balls but as he was set hit 79 off his next 81 and looked destined for his maiden UK century.
However, a top delivery from former Melbourne Renegade Reece Topley undid the Tasmanian, who was squared up and edged the ball through to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, four runs short of his milestone.
Australians in the 2026 County Championship
Derbyshire: Caleb Jewell
Glamorgan: Nathan McAndrew (June)
Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft, Gabe Bell (first six matches), Liam Scott (June)
Hampshire: Jake Lehmann
Lancashire: Marcus Harris, Mitch Perry (April-May only)
Leicestershire: Peter Handscomb, Jake Weatherald
Northamptonshire: Nathan McSweeney, Harry Conway (first two months only)
Nottinghamshire: Fergus O’Neill (April-June only)
Surrey: Sean Abbott (first half of season)
Sussex: Daniel Hughes
Warwickshire: Beau Webster (first half of season)
Yorkshire: Jhye Richardson (until mid-May)
