Derbyshire v Kent: Visitors need 329 to win
Sunday 23rd August 2015
Daniel Bell-Drummond and Rob Key saw off 10 tricky overs in fading light as Kent began their chase of 329 to win without loss in the LV= County Championship at Derby.
A rain-affected third day included a second Billy Godleman century before the hosts declared on 234 for three with more disruptions expected on the final day on Monday.
Godleman became only the fifth Derbyshire batsmen to score centuries in three consecutive innings and the first for 25 years, joining William Storer, Levi Wright, Peter Kirsten and Kim Barnett in the county’s record books.
The opener followed his hundred at Leicester and 108 in the first innings with an unbeaten 104 out of 234 for 3 before Derbyshire declared after the weather held up play for two-and-a half hours.
Derbyshire resumed day three with a 176-run lead and the early breakthroughs Kent needed failed to come as Godleman and Chesney Hughes took the second wicket stand to 114 in 34 overs.
A strong wind, which blew Sam Northeast’s cap off at one stage, may have hampered the bowlers but there were few alarms for Godleman and Hughes with both reaching 50 with boundaries from James Tredwell.
Hughes, dropped at cover on 46, was bowled going for another big hit at Tredwell for 50 but Wayne Madsen accelerated towards a declaration with 43 from 41 balls before he was bowled by Ivan Thomas.
Godleman was in the nineties for 41 balls before he nudged Tredwell behind square and raced through for the single that took him to three figures.
Alex Hughes became the second Derbyshire player to retire hurt when a hand injury forced him to go for an x-ray but even against an attack two bowlers down, Kent had a hard road ahead of them but Key and Bell-Drummond scored 30 runs in 10 tricky overs to leave a target of 299 more runs to win on the final day.