Kent earn creditable draw with West Indies
Lightning and bad light denied Kent the chance to push for a famous win against the touring West Indies in a fine three-day display at The Spitfire Ground.
The umpires called an end just before 5pm when lightning and heavy cloud took the players from the field with the West Indies on 132 for four – representing a modest overall lead in the match of 66 runs.
Delighted by his side’s overall display, Kent’s acting skipper Sam Billings said: “I felt that one to 11 in our side applied themselves fantastically well and that was all I could ask for.
“Everyone had different motivations of course but it was very easy for me to captain a side of guys who really gave it their all and of course it was a tremendous honour to captain a Kent side for the first time.
“Sean Dickson is going from strength to strength and applied himself well against a decent attack and Zak Crawley showed what an exciting prospect he is. At the age of 19, to play an innings of such maturity was a tremendous credit to him.
“The game and this result shows the overall depth we have at the club and performances like this can only strengthen the healthy competition for places.”
The final day’s play finally got underway at 12.20pm after an 80-minute delay for rain, but once again the visiting top-order soon found the overcast conditions tricky against Kent’s rookie attack of seam and swing-bowlers.
Facing a 66-run first innings deficit, the West Indies lost their acting skipper Kraigg Brathwaite to Charlie Hartley’s fourth ball of the day.
Prodding forward, Brathwaite feathered a away-swinger through to keeper Adam Rouse to go without scoring and give Hartley his fifth wicket of the match.
Then, with 24 on the board, Matt Hunn got one to hold its line against the St Lawrence slope and take the outside edge of Kyle Hope’s bat for Rouse to snaffle his second catch and send Hope packing for nine as the tourists lunched on 24 for two – still 44 in arrears.
After the interval Kieran Powell and Shai Hope made a watchful return, both surviving lbw appeals before drizzle again took the players from the field with the tourists on 45 for two.
Play resumed at 3.05pm with the loss of nine more overs and Rouse was soon celebrating a third catch after Kieran Powell tickled one from Adam Ball to depart for 23.
Hope (30) and Shimron Hetmyer made good their side’s 66-run first innings arrears before Hartey bagged his sixth wicket of the match, having Hope well held at short extra cover by Zak Crawley as the tourists took tea with a modest lead of 22 runs.
In fading light Hetmyer showed his steel with a battling 43 before the sides shook hands on the draw.
West Indies batting coach Toby Radford was pleased with the first-innings determination of Shai Hope (57) and Jermaine Blackwood (50) and Hetmyer’s dogged unbeaten 43 on day three.
The former Middlesex and Glamorgan coach said: “Kent bowled in good areas and kept coming at us. They swung it away to the right-handers and whenever we batted in this match there was cloud cover and a little bit of juice around.”
