YORKSHIRE and Kent played out an even opening day of their County Championship clash at Emerald Headingley, with England Test batsman Zak Crawley making 90 for the visitors.

Steve Patterson, who won the toss and elected to bowl, struck twice for Yorkshire to continue his fine start to the summer, just four days after taking the winning wicket in Sunday’s one-run win over Northamptonshire.

Ben Coad claimed three wickets, including two late on to boost the White Rose, as Kent closed on 224-7 from 89.1 overs.

Conditions were not as favourable for bowling as they had been throughout last week’s Northants match, which saw unbeaten Yorkshire win for the third time in four Group Three fixtures.

But pick of the attack Patterson with 2-33 from 17 overs, plus Coad, Jordan Thompson and Dom Bess, impressively controlled the run-rate. Patterson now has 18 wickets for the season.

Credit should go to so far winless Kent for their battling performance, having been bowled out for 138 and 74 in a two-day defeat against Glamorgan last week.

They fought hard to ensure the loss of Daniel Bell-Drummond to the sixth ball of the match from Coad was not as damaging as it could have been.

Bell-Drummond was caught low down at third slip by Harry Brook - 4-1.

Crawley shared 42 with opener Jordan Cox (20), with both men playing memorable on-drives for four.

Patterson then claimed Yorkshire’s second wicket when Cox edged to a diving Adam Lyth at second slip in the 20th over, leaving Kent at 46-2.

And a third was not too far behind as Joe Denly was also caught at second slip by Lyth off Thompson, for three, as the score fell to 65-3 in the 27th.

Jack Leaning came in and took 29 balls to get off the mark, something he did shortly after lunch to avoid a third successive duck against Yorkshire this season.

He shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 79 inside 32 overs with Crawley, who posted his third fifty of the calendar year off 112 balls.

Two have been for Kent this summer and the other for England during their winter Test series in India.

The 23-year-old was strong on both sides of the wicket, showing flashes of elegance amid the fight.

Unfortunately for him, fortunately for Yorkshire, his dismissal was soft.

He failed to get to the pitch of a Patterson full delivery and miscued a drive to Joe Root at cover as Kent fell to 144-4 in the 59th over.

Root and Coad came back into Yorkshire’s team for Will Fraine and David Willey following rest and injury respectively, with the England captain sporting a couple of pairs of snazzy sunglasses throughout a day in which he only bowled one over.

Kent reached tea on 155-4, with Leaning unbeaten on 28.

Since making 79 in the first innings of the summer at Northampton, Leaning had not gone beyond 12 until this innings.

He shared 62 with wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, only to fall two overs before the new ball for 47 when driving at Brook’s medium pace. Lyth held his third catch of the day at slip, leaving Kent at 206-5 after 78.

Robinson (38) lofted Bess for a straight six, only to clip Coad to Thompson at mid-wicket as the score fell to 216-6 in the 85th over.

Coad later got Darren Stevens caught behind for nine - 217-7 in the 87th.

Just seven more runs and a couple more overs were possible before rain brought an early end to proceedings at 5:45pm.