Northeast hits another ton as Kent battle back at Essex
Tuesday 9th September 2014
A magnificent century from Sam Northeast was the highlight of the day as Essex and Kent battled it out for supremacy in their crucial LV= County Championship battle.
After Northeast had rescued his side with a superb 117 to give them some respectability in a total of 198 all out, Darren Stevens picked up three wickets as Essex found run-gathering far from an easy task on a day when 14 wickets fell for a total of 295 runs.
The visitors were soon left regretting choosing to bat first on a pitch tinged with green and certainly helped the seam bowlers in the morning session.
This was confirmed by Kent losing half their side for only 37 runs before the 18th over was completed.
David Masters, playing against his old county, was chiefly responsible for their demise as he found enough movement and occasional lift to pose persistent problems.
His opening spell of seven overs saw him remove Rob Key, Ben Harmison and Brendan Nash for a mere 11 runs, and his figures would have made for more impressive reading had not Stevens dispatched him for an on-side six.
Stevens, who has so often been a thorn in Essex's side in the past, was to fall lbw to medium-fast Jamie Porter who was making his debut for the county following a number of good performances in the second XI.
The other early victim was Daniel Bell-Drummond, who edged Jesse Ryder to Tom Westley in the slips, but Northeast and Sam Billings were to salvage Kent's innings as they shared a sixth wicket stand of 83 in 25 overs.
Billings was adept at punishing anything well-pitched up as he helped himself to eight fours and one six while making 51 before Graham Napier trapped him lbw.
Thereafter, it was Northeast who lit up the stage with a series of punishing strokes either side of the wicket and he so dominated proceedings after losing Billings that he scored 74 of the remaining 78 runs.
He reached a deserved century with a mid-wicket six off left-arm spinner Monty Panesar and also laced his innings with 15 fours before he was last out, caught on the long-on boundary by Panesar when attacking Ryder.
His 117 came off 151 deliveries and it was his third century of the campaign. Masters and Napier proved the most productive of the home attack each claiming three for 44 with Napier picking up two wickets in three balls.
With both counties still nursing hopes, albeit slim, of claiming a promotion place, Essex will have been well satisfied in dismissing Kent for under 200 and denying them a bonus point.
But they did not get off to the best of starts in reply, Tom Westley departing without a run on the board when he was caught low down by a diving Harrmison in the slips to provide Mitch Claydon with an early success.
Then it was the turn of Stevens to make an impact as he so often does in matches between these two teams.
He started by removing Jaik Mickleburgh lbw for 15 and then tempted Ravi Bopara into a loose shot to a widish delivery that finished up in the hands of Tredwell in the slips before finding the edge to have Nick Browne caught behind for 28.
His 50th LV= Championship wicket of the season left Essex on 67 for four but they managed to steer clear of further trouble as they moved to 97 for four by the close to leave themselves 101 runs behind going into the second day.
Essex head coach Paul Grayson said: "It's probably honours even at the end of the day.
"It was an interesting morning with the ball moving around in the conditions. We would like to have bowled them out for a few less but Sam Northeast played brilliantly and Sam Billings counter-attacked us a little bit.
"We need to bat well tomorrow morning and see where that takes us."
Kent bowler James Tredwell said: "After winning the toss, things didn't start as we would have liked.
"It looked a good wicket when we won the toss but we quickly changed our opinion.
"But a great knock by Sam Northeast and then getting those four wickets after tea has brought us back into the game and it's now honours even probably."