Kent out-point leaders Nottinghamshire in tame Tunbridge Wells draw

Kent v Nottinghamshire LV= County Championship Division 1, Day four in Tunbridge Wells
By Mark Pennell
A season“s best 197 by Darren Stevens coupled with a first half-century of the season by Nottinghamshire opener Samit Patel ensured Kent and championship leaders Nottinghamshire fought out a hard fought draw on a lifeless pitch in the Royal Spa Town.
Stevens, 34, and former England one-day starlet Patel vied for the final day“s batting honours, but the docile surface offered little or no assistance to spin or seam bowlers alike allowing Patel and Nottinghamshire to bat out the 62 remaining overs.
By the time the sides shook hands on a draw just before 5pm the visitors had reached 210 for three – an overall lead in the match of 102 – to take a nine point lead at the top of Division 1while Kent banked 10.
Batting for a second time by 12.30pm, Nottinghamshire lost promising opening batsman Alex Hales (16) moments before lunch when the tall right-hander pulled a short one from Matt Coles into the hands of 12th man Warren Lee at deep mid-wicket.
Then, after a second wicket stand of 103 in 36 overs, No3 batsman Mark Wagh (34) played back to a turning ball from James Tredwell – his first of a new spell from the Railway End – that squeezed through the gate and onto off stump to make it 125 for two.
Kent supporters had an extended look at their new overseas recruit, Sri Lankan wrist spinner Malinga Bandara during a much needed 25-over work out. His only success came in dislodging Australian David Hussey (22), who missed an attempted paddle sweep and lost his off stump
Patel churned on regardless, posting his first half-century of the summer from 110 balls with seven fours and a six and remained out in the middle on a season“s best 76 from 186 balls when the umpires drew stumps.
His fourth-wicket partner Steven Mullaney scored at a livelier rate, hitting 48 from 47 balls with eight boundaries, only to be denied a 50 when the game ended in stalemate just before 5pm.
At the start of the day Darren Stevens was only three short of a third career double hundred when he drove loosely outside off stump against Andre Adams to nick low off an inside edge to wicketkeeper Chris Read and bring an end to his magnificent 238- ball stay with 24 fours and a brace of sixes.
Resuming on their overnight score of 478 for six, Kent added 92 more runs losing Coles (22) in the sixth over of the day when Adams went around the wicket and rushed one past the left-hander“s drive to pluck out middle stump.
Adams picked up his first ever five-wicket championship haul for Nottinghamshire with the prized scalp of Stevens, then Paul Franks wrapped up the innings by taking the final two wickets.
He ended a ninth-wicket stand between Simon Cook (26*) and Malinga Bandara (29) when the latter holed out to long-on then polished the job off by pegging back the off stump of last man Amjad Khan (5) with Kent on 570 all out.