Lancashire v Kent: Northeast battles as hosts take control

Monday 27th April 2015

Men’s First Team

Sam Northeast passed 5,000 first class runs with a gritty 48 not out as Kent lost regular wickets in their reply to Lancashire's 444 first innings total.

Zimbabwean bowler Kyle Jarvis (3/35) dismissed Kent openers Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond for 28 either side of Rob Key, Brendan Nash nicked a short ball from debutant Jordan Clark to 'keeper Alex Davies before tea.

Northeast and Darren Stevens added 55 for the fifth wicket before the all-rounder shouldered arms, out LBW to Australian paceman Peter Siddle for 15.

Northeast and Sam Billings looked to accelerate the scoring before Billings was ran out athletically by Alviro Petersen after 28 off 37 balls including six boundaries.

Matt Coles found the rope three times as Kent claimed their first batting point of the season before he was bowled by Simon Kerrigan for 19 from 31 deliveries before rain stopped play on day two shortly before 6pm.

Earlier, Mitch Claydon struck three times on the second morning to help Kent dismiss Lancashire for 444 in the LV= County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.

The Australian finished with figures of 4 for 103 after Darren Stevens (1/55 off 19 overs) removed debutant Jordan Clark with the first ball of the day, caught behind by Billings who claimed six first-innings catches.

The six dismissals equalled the record for a Kent wicketkeeper against Lancashire, set by Alan Knott at Folkestone in 1967.

Ivan Thomas (1/75 off 27 overs) was the most economical bowler and got just reward when he claimed the scalp of Australian Peter Siddle, pouched behind again by Billings for 12.

Lancashire wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Davies fell just before lunch, a run short of his maiden first-class century, as Claydon returned as he edged behind to Matt Coles (3/79) at slip.

“I felt for him last year. We all know he is an exceptional bowler who has played Test cricket and it just didn't go for him last year, and he knows that. Finally now, he is showing what we all know he can do. He is putting some performances for us and winning games for us now.

Tom Bailey was next to go: top-edging Claydon to the grateful gloveman Billings for 21.

Tail-end resistance from Simon Kerrigan and Kyle Jarvis added 32 for the final wicket before Claydon found Kerrigan edge to give Billings his sixth catch of the innings to end the morning session.

Kent seamer Claydon said: “I thought we toiled away quite well. There’s wasn’t a lot there at some stages especially when the sun was out. Having bowled them out for 444 it’s obviously very disappointing to be seven down tonight.
“We’ve still got guys who can bat and we’ve still got a guy in, so our role is to get as many runs as we can and then hopefully put in a performance in the second innings because I think we’re a lot better with the bat than we’ve shown at the moment.
“The lads have just been saying the batting conditions changed quite a lot when the lights came on. When it became quite overcast the ball started nipping around a bit and I don’t think we got to do that at all as the sun was out for the whole 130 overs we were out there, but that’s cricket."

Click here for the live scorecard >>>

Photos from the match are available on Luke Adams' blog>>>