Stevens century helps Kent to full bonus points
Darren Stevens scored his 33rd first class century as Kent secured maximum bonus points in the drawn Specsavers County Championship match at Leicester.
Adam Rouse (60) shared a club record sixth-wicket stand against Leicestershire with Stevens before James Tredwell (55) and Matt Coles (56*) shared a 93-run stand before Kent declared with a first innings lead of 42.
Coles hit 26 off one over from Foxes’ left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson which prompted a barrage of 42 runs off 13 balls to give Kent the lead.
Left-arm seamer Dieter Klein finished with four wickets, and there was a first first-class wicket for Leicestershire for Parkinson.
The morning had seen Stevens and Adam Rouse extend their unbeaten overnight sixth wicket partnership to 152, a record for Kent’s sixth wicket against Leicestershire.
Kent had begun the day still needing 78 runs to avoid the follow-on, but though Rouse did enjoy one moment of good fortune when he edged left-arm fast bowler Dieter Klein just past his leg stump when he was on just 16, it was a rare moment of alarm on a pitch which had flattened under the sunshine of the previous day.
Stevens, who had played with destructive power in charging to his half-century off just 30 balls on Sunday evening, was more circumspect as he approached three figures.
He did lose Rouse, bowled for 60 by Parkinson – the left-arm spinner’s first first-class wicket for the Foxes – but went to his century off 96 balls, having hit 15 fours and a six.
Shortly after doing so an attempt to hit a full delivery from Tom Wells back over the bowler’s head resulted in a simple catch for Klein at mid-off.
James Harris went leg before to Mark Cosgrove, the first delivery with the new ball, but Coles and James Tredwell steered their side to a fifith batting bonus point before Coles cut loose. He had passed his half-century when Cosgrove brought on Harry Dearden, and with his first delivery the occasional off-spinner beat Tredwell’s forward push with a delivery that turned and hit off stump.
After tea, Kent struck twice: academy scholar Ollie Robinson claiming his maiden catch in first class cricket to remove Horton off the bowling of Will Gidman before Matt Hunn found the outside edge of Dearden with Gidman’s catch prompting handshakes all round.