Ben Compton was leading a rearguard action for Kent on day two of their Rothesay County Championship game with Gloucestershire at Canterbury, steering the hosts to 318 for seven at stumps, a deficit of 154.
Compton passed 3,000 first-class runs for Kent on his way to 144 not out, with a fluid innings that again belied his reputation as a dour strokemaker. Grant Stewart made 51 before he fell to Ollie Price in the final over.
Earlier James Bracey made 151 not out as Gloucestershire posted 472. Kent’s Nathan Gilchrist took career best figures of seven for 100, but the visitors total was turbo-charged when number 11 Marchand de Lange hit a blistering 51 from 27 balls.
Gloucestershire resumed on 365 for seven and despite losing Josh Shaw to the third ball of the morning, top-edging Gilchrist to Ben Compton at deep-fine leg, they dominated for the next hour.
Cameron Green, who’d retired on 100 with cramp on day one, came back in and moved to 112 before Gilchrist trapped him lbw, but de Lange came in and assaulted the bowlers, clubbing Jas Singh for two huge sixes over long on. He pushed Jack Leaning for a single through cover to reach his sixth first-class 50 before he finally holed out to the same bowler and was caught by Tawanda Muyeye.
Kent’s reply got off to a grim start when Zak Crawley went for one to a freak dismissal. He edged Tom Price to first slip, where Cameron Green dropped the ball onto his foot and it looped up for Bracey to complete the catch: Crawley walked while the umpires were still conferring.
Ben Compton and Daniel Bell-Drummond steered Kent to 49 for one at lunch but de Lange then got the latter 37, caught at second slip by Cameron Bancroft.
Tawanda Muyeye was out for six, the victim of a brilliant diving catch by Ollie Price when he tried to cut Shaw. Leaning was then dropped when he was on seven after edging Tom Price to Bancroft, but he failed to cash in and was lbw for 16 to Ben Charlesworth’s third ball.
Charlesworth then had Joey Evison caught behind off the very next delivery leaving Harry Finch to survive the hat-trick ball.
Finch, batting despite a hand injury that forced substitute Chris Benjamin to keep wicket, helped Kent to 188 for five at tea, but he fell to an astonishing catch by Ollie Price soon afterwards. Having made 44, Finch pulled de Lange to backward square-leg. The fielder didn’t look like getting anywhere near it, but grabbed it one-handed in mid air and somehow held on when thudded to the turf.
Compton brought up his hundred when he drove Tom Price for four and didn’t really offer a chance until he edged Charlesworth between Bracey and first slip when he was already on 131.
Stewart, also batting despite the unspecified injury that prevented him from bowling, took a single from Ollie Price to reach his half-century from 62 balls, but in the final over the same bowler had him caught by Miles Hammond at first slip to leave Kent five runs short of the follow-on target at stumps.
Gloucestershire’s Ollie Price said: “I think we’re in a great position, I think we were brilliant with the bat earlier today. Brace played such a great knock and then to have that shanky injection at the end, Marchand is known for his big-hitting, but he’s played the situation absolutely perfectly there and he’s used his strengths and his strength to great effect.
“So that was great and I think we batted really well on a wicket where there was plenty going on yesterday and there was still enough going on today, so to have them seven down at the end of the day I think is a really good position.
“There was a moment when Stewart came in that I felt we were really close to getting some great momentum there. They played well and credit to Compton as well, but we’re in a great position and hopefully we can kick on tomorrow.”
(On his catch to get Finch).
“That was a fun one. I was at fine leg, probably a bit squarer for that top edge and I said for that ball it felt like we were going to get one going out there. It felt like it was going to land in the space just behind me to the left and I just threw a hand out there and it stuck, so yeah that was nice to get that one, above ground.
“(Stewart) played really well so to get that wicket just opens the door for us tomorrow to have a really attacking first session.”
Kent’s Adam Hollioake said: “It was disappointing but if you’d asked me an hour or so earlier if id taken that at the end of the one hundred percent we would’ve done.’’
”In the ideal world we’d love to still have him (Grant Stewart) there in the morning but that’s what is going to bring the flocks of crowd in the morning because you never know what’s going to happen, that keeps the game interesting.’’
‘”It’s an abdominal strain’, he won’t be bowling in the second innings which is a bit of a blow to us, but showed a lot of bravery to get out there and battle through that, as did Finchy who’s got a broken finger, he went out there wasn’t able to keep’’
Describing Ben Compton: “He was like the rock of Gibraltar the whole way through that innings. I think he’s enjoyed the extra pace on the wickets this year, there has been a bit more pace then last year and a decent speed outfield.
“He’s got a good technique so that techniques able to cope with a bit of extra movement and pace that we’ve had. Highly skilled individual and really showing his class this year.’’
“We probably didn’t quite bowl as well as we could’ve done, but I thought they stuck at it. After fifty overs this pitch is going pretty easy paced, and I thought they stuck at it. I’m not saying we’re going to win every game and every session but we’re going to turn up with good attitude. I think these guys have played well you know we’ve had two wins in the first two games.’
“This is the first time we’ve been challenged; the other sides have rolled over and let us tickle their belly a little bit. They’ve got some Australian test players in their side, and they’ve got some other good players. So, they’re going to be a side to be reckoned with. They’ve got out to a bit of a head start, that’s why I’ve been really proud of the way we fought back.’’
Picture supplied by Nick Dillam.