Kent v Glamorgan: Seamers shine as Kent grab first-innings lead
Monday 11th May 2015
The seamers shared the wickets as Kent dismissed Glamorgan for 281 on day two to secure a lead of 76 runs.
Ivan Thomas, Darren Stevens and Matt Coles took three wickets apiece with one from the returning Calum Haggett.
Glamorgan batsman Will Bragg scored his second hundred of the summer to keep the visitors in the hunt of the LV= Championship clash after a quickfire 25 from Coles eased Kent past 350 for a fourth batting bonus point.
Bragg, fresh from a career-best 120 against Leicestershire, hit a dozen boundaries in his 208-ball ton to reach the third hundred of his career and cut Kent’s first innings advantage after the hosts made early in-roads.
Kent looked set for a considerable first innings lead as they claimed three Welsh wickets in the 90 minute stint through to lunch. Rookie Ivan Thomas set the tone by trapping James Kettleborough (23) leg before with an off-cutter, then Matt Coles ripped out the off stump of Jacques Rudolph (6) and, when bowling around the wicket, had left-hander James Ingram snaffled at second slip.
Glamorgan counter-attacked in the mid-session and although the run-rate increased, wickets still fell at regular intervals. Chris Cooke cutting at Darren Stevens picked out Joe Denly at cover point then Mark Wallace was caught behind down the leg-side when attempting to glance against Ivan Thomas.
Graham Wagg (7) prodded forward in defence at a Stevens’ away-swinger to edge low to James Tredwell at slip and, with their score on 170 for six at tea, Glamorgan still had concerns over reaching their 208-run follow-on figure.
Tredwell pocketed another catch in the cordon after tea to account for Craig Meschede (14) and give Haggett a deserved scalp on his comeback appearance, but Bragg ensured that that batting again would not be Glamorgan’s fate.
He moved to 99 by steering one from Coles to third man then punched a single to extra cover to raise three figures having spent a shade under four hours at the crease.
Bragg’s vigil ended when Thomas returned to bowl him around his legs for 104, then Stevens plucked out Michael Hogan’s middle stump.
Kent’s young paceman Ivan Thomas, who continues to improve with every appearance, was delighted with his three-wicket haul but had harboured hopes of enforcing the follow-on.
The 23-year-old said: “I chatted with our bowling coach Mark Ealham ahead of this game and spoke about dealing with the day-to-day pressures of county cricket.
“These are my first matches back after a long spell sidelined through injury, so by talking with Mark I’ve been able to manage my game plan better and just relax a little more.
“I felt my first wicket, the one that got Kettleborough leg before was my best wicket of the three. It went through the air, back into the right hander. I held the ball the other way around, which is something I’ve been working on with Ealy, so that was really satisfying.”
Kent batted out the final over of the day with nightwatchman James Tredwell scoring a single, to go into day three with a 77-run lead.