Essex set 202 to win ahead of Day Four
Kent ended Day Three after bowling one over to Essex’s Nick Browne and nightwatchman Jamie Porter after falling to 112 all-out in their second innings, setting Essex 202 to win on Day Four.
Essex, who earlier saw Ryan ten Doeschate score 78, will require 202 to win on the last day at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.
In the first innings, Kent had collapsed to 23 for three in the first six overs, only to recover thanks to Heino Kuhn’s 140, Ollie Robinson’s 78 and useful contributions in the lower middle order.
This time around, they slumped to 36 for three, in 21 overs, before continuing the slide.
Porter, who had taken 4-107 earlier in the match, got the ball rolling when Daniel Bell-Drummond edged behind to Adam Wheater.
Robinson was dropped on 13 at short leg by Varun Chopra, only to edge Porter to Harmer after a 50-ball 14.
Harmer then dismissed Kuhn and Darren Stevens – who both tried to play rare attacking shots, but only picked out Nick Browne and Tom Westley at deep midwicket and long on respectively.
Grant Stewart quickly followed, caught behind off Porter, before Harmer had Marcus O’Riordan lbw.
Jordan Cox had provided resilience with a 29 off 116 balls but Cook produced a brilliant in-ducker to break his defences, before the quick found Hamidullah Qadri nicking behind. O’Riordan, Cox and Qadri all departing with the score on 100.
Matt Milnes was the last man to fall as he picked out Feroze Khushi on the legside boundary – Kent rolled for 112, losing their last six wickets for 26 runs.
Browne and nightwatchman Porter faced one wicketless, and runless, over from Milnes to end the day.
Earlier, Ryan ten Doeschate collected his 79th first-class half-century, while also raising money for the Lord’s Taverners.
The Holland international is one of seven batsmen who are donating money to the Lord’s Taverners for every run they score this summer – with six bowlers helping to raise money through wickets.
Playing in his 17th season with Essex, ten Doeschate used that experience to carefully make his way to his 79th first-class fifty on an uncharacteristically sluggish Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford pitch.
Wheater and ten Doeschate needed almost 25 overs to bring up the 50 stand for the sixth wicket, while it took the latter 105 balls to score his first boundary of the match – however, the cover drive was worth the wait.
Wicketkeeper Wheater departed when he was run out by Heino Kuhn at midwicket after ten Doeschate had turned down a single to end the 69-run partnership.
Ten Doeschate, on his 189th first-class appearance, Marcus O’Riordan for a six over midwicket before moving to his milestone from 122 balls with a dink to third man.
Harmer scored 29, in a 68 stand with ten Doeschate, before he was plumb in front to O’Riordan just before a post-lunch slump saw the Essex tail only add 18 runs for the last three wickets, with Matt Milnes grabbing all three scalps.
Ten Doeschate fell when he struck to Leaning at point, before Sam Cook pulled to midwicket and Quinn edged to second slip in successive balls – Essex falling to an 89-run first-innings deficit.
Credit: ECB Reporters’ Network
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