Key and Denly fall just before lunch to leave Kent with a mountain to climb

Kent v Hampshire LV= County Championship Division 1, Day four in Canterbury.

By Mark Pennell

Joe Denly and Rob Key were early second innings casualties on the fourth and final day of Kent“s crucial LV= Championship clash with Hampshire at an overcast St Lawrence.
Having set off in pursuit of a mammoth victory target of 378 at the required rate of 4.6 an over, Kent lost opening bat Denly (10) as early as the fifth over.
The right-hander instinctively followed a Cork leg-cutter only to get a thin edge through to wicketkeeper Michael Bates that made it 15 for one.
Second-wicket partners Sam Northeast (18*) and Rob Key (1) almost survived through to the interval, only for Key to fall in the penultimate over before lunch.
Prodding forward to a Danny Briggs quicker ball, Key was virtually hit on the full to go leg before and leave the hosts in trouble on 32 for two after 16 overs.
Hampshire used up the opening hour of the final day by batting on to add 83 to their overnight total in 12.2.overs.
In helping to accelerate his side“s run rate tempo, James Vince crashed three early boundaries the last off which a crisp off drive against Darren Stevens, raced to the ropes at long-off to post his 71-ball half-century with eight boundaries.
Soon after the visitors lost their skipper Dominic Cork (14) leg before when attempting to run a Malinga Bandara googly to third-man then Chris Wood (24) clipped back a return catch when driving at James Tredwell to make it 342 for eight.
Then, when James Tomlinson (12) holed out to Northeast at long-off with the total of 355 for nine Cork duly declared to leave Kent a minimum of 81 overs to chase a highly unlikely target.

Photo: Sarah Ansell