Day Four

Kent will live to fight another day in Division One of the Vitality County Championship after they battled for a draw with Hampshire on a thrilling final day at Canterbury.

Kent were all out for 338 in their second innings, leaving Hampshire to chase 143 from nine overs at 15.89.

Jack Leaning made exactly 100 in a stand of 149 with Harry Finch, who was the last man out for 79, while Kyle Abbott took four for 66 and Muhammad Abbas three for 69.

Hampshire spent 2.4 overs trying to pull off an improbable run chase and were 24 for one when bad light stopped play at 5.54pm.

It’s been a tough season at The Spitfire Ground, but the members who stuck by their team were finally rewarded with a superb day of cricket that was fascinatingly poised throughout, particularly during a fractious and excruciating final session.

Kent began on 70 without loss in their second innings, still 126 behind and they suffered a major blow went Tawanda Muyeye went to the fourth ball of the morning when he edged Abbott to Toby Albert at second slip and was out for 46.

He then removed Ben Compton for 25, again caught by Albert, before Abbas took two wickets in nine balls.

A distraught Daniel Bell-Drummond was lbw for 23, before Joe Denly saw his off stump pinged back for five.

Abbott returned from the Nackington Road to get Joey Evison for 11, victim of a low slip catch by James Vince, leaving Leaning and Finch to survive to 145 for five at lunch.

If Kent’s prospects looked bleak at that point, the duo then batted out the entire afternoon session, with only one serious alarm: Leaning was on 34 when he drove Brad Wheal straight to extra cover, but the ball hit Tom Prest in the stomach and fell to the floor.

Leaning subsequently drove James Fuller for four to reach his 50 and simultaneously put Kent into the lead.

Hampshire’s tactic of bowling short backfired as both batters comfortably dealt with a barrage of bouncers.

With the game drifting Dawson switched to the Nackington Road End, but he had no more joy trying to spin the ball up the slope than he had down it.

The hosts reached a far healthier looking 268 for five at tea, at which point the lead was 72 with 37 overs remaining.

Hampshire’s hopes now hinged on the new ball and although Leaning glanced a single of Abbott to bring up his hundred, he was lbw to Abbas in the next over, ending a record sixth-wicket partnership for Kent against Hampshire and reigniting the contest.

Wheal replaced Abbott at the Pavilion End and immediately had Charlie Stobo caught by Prest for 17 at short midwicket.

Abbott switched ends and got Matt Parkinson for seven and George Garrett went for four, caught behind off Wheal in the next over.

Singh, however, managed to linger for 27 balls in a crucial last wicket stand with Finch that ate up 11 overs.

Aside from one appeal for a catch, they offered few chances until Finch inexplicably tried to hook James Fuller and he was caught at first slip by Vince.

Although rain had already started to fall and the covers went on and off without any overs being lost and Hampshire sent out Vince and Fuller.

It might have been a viable run chase in Blast cricket but in bad light and with nine fielders on the boundary it was largely theoretical, especially when the rain returned.

Vince was bowled by Garrett for 11 in the gathering gloom and although Liam Dawson hit ten off the next two balls, the umpires brought the players off and the players eventually shook hands after some tetchy exchanges as they left the field.

With Lancashire and Nottinghamshire both losing, Kent retain a slim chance of avoiding relegation and they face a crucial game at home to the latter next week.

Day Three

Kent were battling hard to save their Division One status after being forced to follow on by Hampshire, on a rain-affected third day in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.

The hosts could be relegated by the end of this round of fixtures, but they were 70 without loss in their second innings, still 126 behind, with Tawanda Muyeye unbeaten on 46 and Ben Compton 24 not out.

Earlier Kyle Abbott took five for 46 as Kent were dismissed for 207 in their first innings, Compton their highest scorer with 51.

Torrential rain fell during an already truncated evening session and play was eventually abandoned for the day at 5.26pm.

Kent began day three on 64 for five, still 339 runs behind Hampshire’s first innings score of 403, but Compton and Harry Finch survived for the first 90 minutes of an extended morning session, aided by some sub-optimal slip fielding.

Toby Albert dropped Compton twice, on 24 and 32, the first when he couldn’t hang on to a difficult slip catch off Abbott, the second a more routine head-high chance offered by James Fuller.

Albert snared Compton at the third attempt when Abbott found his edge with the first delivery after he'd switched to the Nackington Road End.

In his next over Abbott had Finch caught behind for 44, before Liam Dawson bowled Charlie Stobo for 10.

Matt Parkinson was out soon after lunch, caught behind off Brad Wheal for four, but the last wicket pair of George Garrett and Jas Singh proved a nuisance, particularly after James Vince dropped the former when he was on 17, again in the slips.

Singh passed his previous best first class score of 14, before he was removed by the new ball, lbw to Abbas for one, leaving his partner stranded on 27.

With 45 overs remaining in the day Hampshire immediately announced they were enforcing the follow on, but a whiff of farce arrived when Tawanda Muyeye hit the penultimate ball before tea for a six into the gardens on the Old Dover Road side of the ground.

Hampshire were unhappy with the replacement and four of their fielders, the twelfth man and a coach climbed awkwardly over the fence to look for the original, finally finding it after seven minutes.

Shortly after the resumption the importance of those seven minutes was magnified when the rain arrived and a total of nine overs were lost.

When play resumed at 5.05pm it was already raining again, the ground staff were already holding the covers and Compton faced down three balls from Abbas before they gave up and went off again.

Day Two

Kent’s Division One status was dangling by a thread after a dismal second day against Hampshire in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.

The hosts slumped to 64 for five for in reply to Hampshire’s first innings total 403, Kyle Abbot claiming three for 23.

What had looked like an even contest at the end of day one tilted drastically in Hampshire’s favour during the morning session. Tom Prest hit a majestic 102 and Brad Wheal chipped in with his highest first class score of 61 as Hampshire were finally dismissed for 403. Kent could be relegated this week if they lose and results elsewhere go against them and they still trail by 339 at stumps.

The visitors began day two on 213 for seven and looked comfortable for the first hour until Joey Evison came on from the Nackington Road end and removed Abbott for 26, victim of a brilliant slip catch by Jack Leaning.

Prest, who only had 15 at the start of play, responded by dumping Matt Parkinson into the Old Dover Road hedges to bring up his fifty and he took 21 from the over.

He then reached his 100 from exactly 100 balls by dropping to one knee and smearing Charlie Stobo for six over deep midwicket before he finally fell to the same bowler after a juggling catch from Jas Singh on the deep midwicket boundary.

Even the last wicket pair put on 71. Wheal twisted the knife with an aggressive cameo that included a pulled six off Singh and it was 377 for nine when rain ushered in the lunch break.

Wheal was stuck on 49 for 15 balls before he nudged Parkinson for a single and he then clubbed Stobo for a six over square leg to take Hampshire past 400 before he was bowled playing on to Stobo.

Kent’s response was all too predictable. Muhammad Abbas, who also achieved a personal best of 13 not out, strangled Tawanda Muyeye, who was perhaps unfortunate to be given caught behind for five at the start of Kent’s sixth over.

Abbott then took three wickets in five balls. Daniel Bell-Drummond went first in the 11th over, caught for ten by Fletcha Middleton, a ball after he’d been dropped by Prest. Jack Leaning and Joe Denly then both went for a second-ball ducks, the former caught by Toby Albert, the latter lbw to a ball that hit him above the knee roll.

Joey Evison made 21 before Wheal had him caught behind but the hosts were spare further punishment when play was suspended at 4.34pm due to a combination of bad light and increasingly heavy rain, which persuaded the umpires there was no realistic chance of resuming.

Day One

Kent reduced Hampshire to 213 for seven at stumps on a weather-affected first day in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.

Matt Parkinson took three for 31 and George Garrett three for 60 as the hosts exploited the conditions at the Spitfire Ground.

James Vince hit 88 for the visitors, but their next highest scorer was Liam Dawson, who made 31.

No play was possible before lunch, but when Kent won the toss a home supporter was moved to say: “If we can’t bowl a side out in these conditions, we never will.”

And while the bar is admittedly low, this was as good a day as the division’s basement side have enjoyed at the St. Lawrence in red ball cricket all season.

It was damp, overcast, and blustery, and Fletcha Midleton was soon bowled by Garrett for eight, playing the wrong line.

Joey Evison then removed Toby Albert with his second ball for 11, playing on, before Nick Gubbins joined Vince.

They put on 83 for the third wicket before Gubbins was caught behind off Garrett for 24.

When the light deteriorated, tea was taken at 3.10pm, with Hampshire on 135 for three.

Conditions improved significantly after the restart but Ben Brown tried to hook Garrett and was caught by Evison for nine.

Vince was on 77 when he pulled Evison to midwicket and although Joe Denly couldn’t take the catch, the former England man atoned with a brilliant diving one-handed grab when Vince tried to drive Matt Parkinson through cover.

Parkinson then got Liam Dawson for 31, caught by Charlie Stobo at second slip, but Harry Finch missed a chance to stump James Fuller when he was on one, but he’d only added six more when Finch took his chance at redemption, grabbing a violently turning ball from Parkinson. 

With darkness encroaching once again, play was eventually abandoned for the day at 5.47 pm, with 11 overs remaining.