LANCASHIRE's fading Championship hopes took another battering as Ed Smith hit a superb double century for Kent at Blackpool yesterday.

Smith made 203, including 36 boundaries, to become the first player to reach 1,000 first class runs this season and make Lancashire suffer in the roasting sun.

Chairman Jack Simmons was furious before the start at England's decision to prevent James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff playing for their county, but it was the sort of day when Lancashire were left cursing the finger injury which cost them the services of Harbhajan Singh.

They included John Wood as an extra bowler at the expense of Jamie Haynes but to no avail as all four seamers struggled to find much life in a placid Stanley Park pitch.

To make matters worse, Flintoff was on the ground making his debut for Sky TV, while Anderson was given permission by England to play in a fun match between Burnley's cricketers and footballers at Turf Moor.

The only other Lancashire player to escape the punishment was Stuart Law, although he had problems of his own with a nasty stomach bug which forced Haynes to field for most of the day as 12th man.

Peter Martin gave Lancashire an early lift when he had Rob Key caught behind but it always looked a good toss to win for Kent, especially with Smith in such prime form.

The Cambridge graduate had hit five centuries in his last six innings and it showed as he got off the mark with two boundaries and raced to 88 before lunch.

He was especially harsh on Chris Schofield, who went for 30 in his first three overs, which included four full tosses, although he returned to bowl more accurately and improve his figures later in the day.

Carl Hooper broke a second wicket stand of 122 when he had David Fulton caught at slip just before lunch, and when Glen Chapple found some life in the pitch to have Andrew Symonds caught behind, Lancashire had a flicker of hope with Kent 150 for three.

But little Matthew Walker then joined Smith for a fourth wicket stand of 196 which sucked the life out of wilting Lancashire, who were forced to use eight bowlers as they searched desperately for a breakthrough.

Smith reached the first double century of his career from 255 balls and received a standing ovation from a 2,500 crowd after he was bowled two balls later by Hooper - a delivery which, worryingly for Lancashire, shot along the ground.

Walker resumed today eight runs short of his own century with Lancashire needing early wickets to avoid being set a big target just to avoid the follow-on.

At least Kent were missing their Pakistani paceman Mohammad Sami, who failed a fitness test on an injured ankle yesterday morning. It was the only setback they suffered all day.