Kent land eighth win in march toward Division 2 title

Middlesex v Kent LV County Championship Division 2, Day four. Uxbridge.
By Mark Pennell
KENT secured their eighth win of the campaign with an hour to spare after finally breaking Middlesex resistance to win by 10 wickets in Uxbridge.
Visiting openers Rob Key (17*) and Sam Northeast (19*) needed only 31 balls to knock off the 31 runs Kent needed for their maximum points victory that extends their leadership to 36 points.
The basis for the last day win was the spin of Kent“s James Tredwell and Rob Ferley who, on the flattest of club pitches, managed to winkle out three apiece and finally dismiss Middlesex in their second innings for 326.
Some five wickets fell in Saturday“s mid-session as the hosts went in at tea on the fourth and final day on 293 for eight – requiring another three runs to make Key“s side bat again.
Former team-mate Neil Dexter proved their major stumbling block, he followed his career-best 146 in the first innings with a 139-ball ton with 18 fours and a six second time round for his part in a Middlesex record fourth-wicket stand with Dawid Malan worth 202.
The partnership ended soon after lunch when Dexter followed a Tredwell arm-ball to nick to Justin Kemp at slip and make it 235 for four.
Ferley got in on the act by trapping Malan (76) leg before with one that appeared to shoot, and then John Simpson (14) marched down the pitch when pushing defensively to the left-arm spinner to be stumped by Geraint Jones.
All-rounder Gareth Berg also went to Ferley, who appeared to find more turn and bounce with the new ball, and a good catch by Amjad Khan but it was a stunning one-handed catch over his shoulder at mid-wicket by Martin van Jaarsveld that lit up the session and accounted for Shaun Udal and make it 264 for eight.
Chris Silverwood was then foxed by a Tredwell ball that turned inside his defensive push and thud into the pad to send him packing leg before.
Then a mix-up between last pairing Tim Murtagh and Chris Finn ended up with the latter slipping after being sent back to be easily run out by Ferley“s throw from mid-wicket.
Photo by AR Pics