Coles & Gidman help Kent gain maximum bowling points
Matt Coles and Will Gidman helped Kent take 6/45 in the middle session as Kent battled back in the day-night match at Trent Bridge.
Gidman (12*) and Sam Billings (39*) shared a 42-run stand through to stumps as Kent trail by 86 runs with six wickets remaining.
Earlier in the day, Steven Mullaney ( (168) and Alex Hales (85) extended their partnership to 222 runs as Nottinghamshire earned a 191-run first-innings lead.
The pair attacked the bowling after overtaking Kent’s score in the opening session before Hales eventually departed, drove Joe Denly to Sean Dickson at third man after a barrage of boundaries.
Chris Read (20*) added 52 runs either side of the interval as the hosts eyed maximum batting points and a massive lead before the end of Mullaney’s six-hour vigil triggered a late collapse.
Riki Wessels nicked Gidman behind before James Pattinson chopped on Coles for 4 and Luke Fletcher edged Gidman to slip in a sequence of three wickets in as many overs.
Jake Ball’s aggressive run-a-ball 19 was ended by Mitch Claydon as the tailender uppercutted to Gidman at third man shortly before Sean Dickson ran out Harry Gurney without scoring.
The second innings began under floodlights with a new pink ball. Daniel Bell-Drummond was bowled by England star Jake Ball, who later limped off to be replaced in the attack by Luke Fletcher.
Fletcher induced the outside edge of Denly who departed for 19 before left-armer Gurney accounted for Dickson and Sam Northeast, angling the ball across the right-handers.
Northeast’s nick found the grateful gloves of Read before Dickson drove to Brendan Taylor at second slip.
Sam Billings steadied the ship, leaving well outside off stump and dispatching the bad balls with eight boundaries in an unbeaten 39.
Substitute Joe Weatherley will deputise for Billings at the start of day three with the Kent batsman heading to Worcester to represent England Lions.