Kent lose seven in a session as Essex bite back in Canterbury

Kent v Essex LV= County Championship Division One, day three at Canterbury.

By Mark Pennell

Kent suffered a disastrous mid-session in Canterbury by losing seven wickets inside 90 minutes to go into tea on 68 for seven in their second innings against Essex.
The hosts partially recovered from the parlous state of 40 for six to reach 68 for seven at tea, for an overall lead in the match of 209 runs.
A half-hour break for rain interrupted the Kent reply after only 10 balls but the resumption led to a remarkable collapse that saw Kent lose seven wickets in 170 deliveries through to tea.
Skipper Rob Key (0) gloved to the keeper when trying to withdraw the bat against Andy Carter then the same bowler on loan from Nottinghamshire, induced a rash shot from Joe Denly (6) who also nicked through to James Foster.
Only 12 runs later and Sam Northeast (7) prodded at a good ball from David Masters for Foster to take a tumbling catch to his right in one glove to make it 25 for three.
Though the clouds departed, Kent“s gloom deepened when Geraint Jones (4) feathered an attempted drive against Carter to give Foster a fourth catch then Darren Stevens worked across the line of the next, full-length ball to go leg before without scoring.
To make matters worse, Azhar Mahmood followed suit to the last ball before tea from David Masters to go lbw for 19 and leave Essex cock-a-hoop.
A determined rearguard action saved Essex from the follow-on in Canterbury on Saturday as their first innings finished on the stroke of the lunch interval at 279 all out – an overall deficit in the match of 141.
Kent took the new ball with the Essex score on 200 for six and struck in the seventh over with it when Amjad Khan enticed Mark Pettini to flash outside off stump and edge to first slip where James Tredwell took a sharp overhead catch to end Pettini“s 325-minute stay for 88.
Former Kent seamer David Masters counter attacked with some attractive shots to edge Essex to within 14 of the follow-on at 257 before Kent enjoyed their next breakthrough.
Bryce McGain (14) took a stride down the pitch looking to drive at Tredwell only to edge to Jones then, three balls later, Masters resistance came to an end with his score on 42 when he pushed half forward and down the wrong line to fall leg before to Malinga Bandara.
Andy Carter, on loan from Nottinghamshire, lofted a straight six off Tredwell to cut the deficit further and last man Maurice Chambers clubbed four over long-on to edge the visitors to 268.
It was Carter who clipped a brace of twos through mid-wicket against Bandara to pass 271 and save his side the ignominy of batting again.
In the over before lunch Chambers (6) holed out to Tredwell at long-on against Bandara to end the innings just before 1pm and leave Carter unbeaten on 16.