Denly digs in to help Kent defy Lancashire

Kent v Lancashire LV= County Championship Division One, Day Two in Canterbury.
By Mark Pennell
A third-wicket stand worth 76 in 28 overs between Martin van Jaarsveld and Joe Denly helped Kent into a much improved position come Thursday“s lunch interval at St Lawrence.
Denly posted a 104-ball half-century for his part in the partnership, but van Jaarsveld fell for 34 some 90 minutes into the opening session.
Kent went into the interval on 131 for three with Denly unbeaten on 68 – his second highest score of the campaign – while Geraint Jones had reached five not out as the hosts respond to Lancashire“s first day total of 266 all out.
Resuming on their overnight score of 53 for two, Kent made steady if unspectacular progress for the first hour with neither batsman putting a foot wrong.
Denly reached his third half-century of the summer with a single to mid-wicket after 135 minutes at the crease. He hit only five fours.
Van Jaarsveld survived one big appeal for leg before from Kyle Hogg when on 21 and had added only 13 more to his score when Hogg finally got his man.
Aiming a back-foot force against a slower, wider delivery, van Jaarsveld mistimed the stroke to point where Gareth Cross went down on to his knees to claim a good low catch in both hands and make it 111 for three.
Shortly before lunch, Denly enjoyed the shot of the morning by pulling a short ball from Sajid Mahmood for six toward the Old Dover Road turnstiles.
Jones enjoyed a let off just before the break with his score on four. Attempting to drive the fourth ball of the day from left-arm spinner Gary Keedy, Jones skied to mid-off where Shivnarine Chanderpaul failed to lay a hand on the chance when running toward mid-on.

Photo: Sarah Ansell