Dickson and Denly dig in as Kent begin reply to big Derbyshire total
Sean Dickson and Joe Denly denied Derbyshire's bowlers after Ben Cotton struck early on the second afternoon of the Specsavers County Championship match at Derby.
Replying to Derbyshire's first innings 492 and needing 343 to avoid the follow-on, Kent started badly when Daniel Bell-Drummond was brilliantly caught by wicket-keeper Tom Poynton with only nine on the board.
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Cotton and the rest of the seam attack maintained a consistent line to keep the pressure on Kent but Dickson and Denly showed impressive discipline to steer the visitors to 70 for 1 at tea at the 3aaa County Ground.
Derbyshire made good use of the new ball and Cotton found some bounce and movement to find the edge of Bell-Drummond's bat in the 10th over with Poynton changing direction to take a stunning catch low down in front of first slip.
Although Dickson pulled leg-spinner Matt Critchley for six, the second wicket pair needed 24 overs to add 61 which was a reflection on the accuracy of Derbyshire's bowling.
Shiv Thakor and Tom Taylor celebrated personal bests on a record-breaking morning for Derbyshire against Kent at the 3aaa County Ground.
Thakor made 130, his highest Championship innings, while Taylor completed a career-best 80 out of an eighth wicket stand of 150 from 31 overs.
That was a Derbyshire record against Kent and has put the home side in a commanding position after they were bowled out for 492 on the stroke of lunch.
Kent's attack struggled to extract anything from a pitch which has flattened out although Matt Coles completed a five wicket haul when he bowled Tony Palladino.
But by then, Thakor and Taylor had taken Derbyshire to maximum batting points for the first time this season with Thakor reaching his first century for the county, and his second in the Championship against Kent, from 120 balls.
Taylor chipped Adam Ball to cover before Thakor was stumped giving James Tredwell the charge five overs later as Derbyshire scored 111 in the morning session.