Day Three Match Report: Kent fight back
Friday 14th June 2013
Visitors Glamorgan appeared to be homing in on their second win of the LV= County Championship Division Two campaign after making Kent follow on in Canterbury, but a solid partnership between Key and Nash took Kent to 254 for four in their second innings on day three.
Kent were initially dismissed for 135 to concede a first-innings lead of 243, but they batted better second time around to take the game into its final day by reaching their 254 for four at stumps – a slender match lead of 11.
Having been all out before lunch inside 47 overs, Kent made a better fist of things in a second innings that started with a single over before the lunch interval.
After the break, openers Rob Key and Sam Northeast appeared to be in little or no trouble in adding 75 for the first wicket until Northeast (33) drove a return catch to veteran spinner Dean Cosker.
Another Kent youngster, Daniel Bell-Drummond, then saw Jim Allenby pull off a stunning reflex catch at slip that sent him packing for 14, bringing together Key and Brendan Nash for a responsible third-wicket partnership that added 95 in 26 overs.
Key went past 50 for the fourth time this season, from 112 balls that included five fours, while Nash reached the milestone from 74 balls before both fell in quick succession.
Only five deliveries after celebrating his half-century and without addition, Nash edged an attempted push drive against Michael Hogan into the gloves of Mark Wallace to leave with his side on 192 for three.
Then, only 15 runs short of a third century of the summer and the 49th of his career, Key’s late decision to kick away a Cosker arm-ball led to his demise leg before wicket after facing 166 balls.
Though Ben Harmison (23no) and Darren Stevens (35no) survived the remaining 26 overs, Kent still face an uphill task to make the game safe on the fourth and final day.
Kent had started the day at 73 for four and were only able to add a further 62 to their tally before losing their six remaining wickets.
Allenby caused their early headaches, nipping one back to snare Stevens’ leg before for 10 as he shouldered arms, then having Harmison caught behind for 12 off a lunging defensive push.
Geraint Jones, the acting Kent skipper, drove over a full ball from Hogan to lose his off stump before on-loan debutant Mitchell Claydon (three) drove to mid-on and gifted Graham Wagg a second wicket.
Calum Haggett (nine) made a late, and fatal, decision to leave a shooting off-cutter from Michael Reed that plucked out off stump, but at least 10th wicket partners Charlie Shreck and Adam Riley enjoyed themselves in adding 25 – the second best partnership of the innings.
Shreck (15no), playing in his 122nd first-class match, was only four short of equalling his career best when Riley nicked behind to see Wallace hold on at the second attempt to end the innings and give Cosker a wicket with his fifth ball of the match.