Jones and Stevens score hundreds to leave Kent in command

Kent v Surrey, LV County Championship Division 2, day three. Canterbury.
By Mark Pennell
A CAREER-BEST 156 by Geraint Jones coupled with a flamboyant if fortunate unbeaten century from Darren Stevens helped steer Kent toward maximum batting bonus points as the hosts went in to Sunday“s lunch interval on 401for four.
Jones bettered his career best 133, scored against Glamorgan earlier this season, in the 81st over of the innings when spanking the first delivery with the second new ball from Jade Dernbach for four through cover point.
The former England keeper teamed up with Stevens to thump 51 in five overs against the new cherry and in total the pair added 183 in 39 overs – comfortably Kent“s highest fourth-wicket stand of the summer.
Jones reached the first 150 of his career with a forceful pull for four against Dernbach, the 21st four of his stay, but the fun ended moments later when, three balls after a five-minute break for bad light, Jones had his off stump plucked out by a Stuart Meaker leg-cutter that made it 376 for four.
At the other end Stevens rode his luck to post his second hundred of the summer from 111-balls with 17 fours and a six.
The right-hander from Hinckley was dropped off successive balls when on 90 and 91, firstly when Stewart Walters got one hand to a diving chance at slip off Dernbach then, two overs later, when Pedro Collins dropped a sitter at mid-off against the bowling of Tim Linley.
In all Kent added 159 in the 29-over session for the loss of Jones, at a spectacular scoring rate of 5.48 per over.