Day Two

James Vince completed his fourth Vitality County Championship double century before Hampshire’s bowlers cemented the host’s advantage on day two.

Hampshire captain Vince showcased the very best of his aesthetically pleasing batting to go from 149 overnight to a must-watch 211.

He was able to declare on 505 for eight with attacking duo James Fuller’s 41 and Keith Barker’s 43 before Barker, Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott chipped away with wickets.

Feroze Khushi and Jack Leaning bagged contrasting fifties for the visitors but they ended the day still 299 runs behind on 206 for six.

Vince had turned the shape of day one with a mesmerising century, and came out for a swaggering encore.

He reached 150 with the third ball of the day with the first of eight cover drives of the day, each caressing the middle of the bat and whistling to the boundary.

It was the kind of Vince innings which had it taken place a decade ago would have created a clamour for an England call-up. But despite 1,000 runs last season and back-to-back hundreds, his Test days appear behind him.

Ben Brown took his partnership with Vince to 259 – Hampshire’s all-time best against Kent for the fourth wicket – before inside edging onto his pads to loop to second slip, before Liam Dawson was bowled by Joey Evison.

Despite Vince’s eternal majesty, this was the first time since 2018 that he had scored two Championship centuries in a season, but continued to smash the ball around Utilita Bowl.

His 200 came up in 262 balls, with only Phil Mead, Gordon Greenidge and Jimmy Adams scoring more doubles for Hampshire.

Vince was only quelled on 211 when the tireless Grant Stewart found a trampoline on a length to take the shoulder of the bat through to second slip.

James Fuller and Keith Barker took on Vince’s mantel and further upped the run-rate with some aggressive batting either side of lunch.

The pair put on an entertaining 69 with both crashing scores in the 40s to keep Kent’s bowlers in the dirt.

Both were bowled before Vince called Felix Organ and Kyle Abbott in after an unbroken 35 partnership to declare on 508 for eight.

Feroze Khushi, on loan from Essex, was hypnotic in reply.

Whether it was the shot a ball, having the ball thrown at him by Mohammad Abbas – who was docked five penalty runs – or insisting that a ball hadn’t carried to third slip.

The piece de resistance was a simply watch-it to believe it whipped six over square leg on his way to a 38 ball fifty.

But wickets kept falling. Ben Compton was leg before in the third over to Barker while Abbas ended his first four overs having gone for 31 but hit back with a snorter to have Daniel Bell-Drummond caught behind in a wicket maiden.

Khushi fell over a full Barker delivery, Evison edged Abbas behind before Barker picked up his third when Tawanda Muyeye dangled to Ben Brown.

But throughout, Jack Leaning bedded in and found little problem to slowly take his side away from a complete collapse. His fifty coming in 89 balls and ended the day unbeaten on 73.

Harry Finch was sharply caught and bowled by Abbott off the final delivery of the day with Kent miles from avoiding the follow-on.

Day Three

Jack Leaning and Ben Compton gave Kent a chance of saving a Vitality County Championship draw against Hampshire.

Leaning led the resolve in the first innings by returning from injury to score 118, before Compton bedded in with 71 not out in the second innings.

But their determination came with a backdrop of a 162-run first innings deficit, meaning Hampshire forced them to follow-on, and just eight wickets in hand heading into the final day.

The duo ended the day with a 84 unbroken partnership with Kent up to 132 for two, with the deficit down to just 30 runs.

After James Vince’s swashbuckling 211 on day one, and a fast-paced day two, the third day never progressed from sedate – with six wickets falling and 269 runs scored.

Leaning returned on 73, having guided the visitors around an unconvincing evening session which saw them end up six down and trailing by 299 runs.

He survived Vince dropping him at first slip on 84 but was otherwise restrained and oozed leadership in his fight back while marshalling the tail.

Leaning had missed the last seven weeks with a broken hand, which he suffered during the drawn match with Worcestershire in May.

In that innings he had scored an unbeaten 179 and he made it back-to-back hundreds in 207 balls, the 10th of his career, sixth since joining Kent and second in his last three visits to Utilita Bowl.

Around Leaning, two wickets fell on either side of the second new ball.

Charlie Stobo’s sensible 28 was ended two overs before the new ball was unveiled when James Fuller pinned him leg before.

And then four balls into the new cherry, Grant Stewart was rapped on the pads by Muhammed Abbas.

But Matt Parkinson took more time out of the game with Leaning, and minimised the deficit with a no-thrills 24. The pair put on 44 to frustrate the hosts.

But Leaning’s majestic innings was ended when Kyle Abbott splayed his stumps and Kent were bowled out for 343 when Parkinson fended Keith Barker to first slip – Barker ending with four for 85.

The last four Kent wickets put on 137 to almost avoid the follow-on, but despite their efforts Vince was able to turn them back around.

Feroze Khushi was more restrained than his thrilling first-innings 53, but fell for a short ball trap to top edge Barker to long leg.

Daniel Bell-Drummond lasted slightly longer before Liam Dawson extracted enough turn to cannon into off-stump.

But Compton found company with that man Leaning to take any sting out of the day.

Opener Compton reached fifty in 114 balls with a reverse sweep, a shot which betrayed his staunchness.

Leaning was dropped by Vince for the second time in the day but was otherwise solid to all-but wipe out the deficit.

Hampshire will need eight wickets and likely a bit of a chase on the final day, and might be without Barker – who pulled up during a delivery midway through the evening and didn’t return.

Day Four

Liam Dawson astounded Utilita Bowl with an unbeaten 28-ball 56 to give Hampshire a sensational six-wicket in the Vitality County Championship victory over Kent.

Hampshire were given 179 runs to chase in 31 overs, and after Toby Albert, Fletcha Middleton and James Vince had given them a flyer, Dawson made it a cakewalk.

His two sixes and seven fours meant he completed the win in 23 overs to keep Hampshire in the title race with three wins in their last four matches.

Kyle Abbott had taken a five-wicket haul while 84-maker Harry Finch had frustrated the hosts, but Kent remain winless in the Championship since May 3.

Fletcha Middleton and Toby Albert remained as openers but hit their T20 switch to put on 41 in seven overs – coloured in with Middleton clearing long on and Albert scooping Grant Stewart over the ropes.

Albert edged behind but James Vince carried on the momentum with 32 off 21 – which included a humungous slog sweep six.

But Vince was yorked and Middleton was bamboozled by a Parkinson pea-roller either side of a rain delay which lost one over.

Nick Gubbins and Dawson initially put the power-hitting back in the locker, with the run-rate in hand, to focus on smart running and precision strikes.

But then Dawson ran amok to terrorise Matt Parkinson and Nathan Gilchrist – whose figures were an unflattering one for 48 and one for 52 and included Dawson led overs which went for 14 and 19.

Gubbins holed out but James Fuller got Hampshire over the line with seven overs to spare when he threw his bat at a wide delivery.

Hampshire started the day needing eight wickets at the very least on the final day, with their lead a slender 30. But were a bowler down all day after Keith Barker pulled out of an over the previous evening, initially thought to be cramp.

It was hardly helpful when Jack Leaning was dropped on 32 and 43, although only lasted two further balls after the second shelling when an attempted hook was glanced to wicketkeeper Ben Brown.

That ended a 106-run partnership with Ben Compton, who had been a brick wall to frustrate Hampshire as long as possible, while also giving his side a slim chance of victory.

His gritty stay ended when he was adjudged to have gloved the ball to short leg before Joey Evison was pinned by a delivery which stayed low from Fuller.

What Compton had started with his 92, Harry Finch continued, initially at a quicker rate than his predecessor – especially during his 72-run stand with Tawanda Muyeye.

The wicketkeeper-batter was the glue with the tail, as Leaning had been in the first innings, although Muyeye, Charlie Stobo and Grant Stewart all fell to the rampaging Abbott.

Muyeye hit onto his own stumps, Stobo was undone by a beauty which hammered the top of off stump and Stewart was lbw to a full in-ducker.

Finch was tigerish though as he reached 50 in 81 balls, and found company with Parkinson – who like the first innings helped add 44 for the ninth wicket.

Parkinson tickled Mohammed Abbas behind but another 23-run stand for the last wicket further maddened a tetchy Hampshire before Abbott finally wrapped things up, via a Finch top edge and a juggling Vince. Abbott returning five for 85.

The 179 should have been a test, but Hampshire won at a canter.