Kent’s County Championship match with Essex at Canterbury looked to be heading for a draw after an even day’s play at Canterbury.

After Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara had both made centuries on the second day, the visitors closed their first innings with a lead of 53 runs on day three, which saw 39 overs lost to rain, with Bopara eventually out during the afternoon session for 162.

Mitch Claydon finished with well-deserved figures of 5-82 from his 27 overs at a rain-affected Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence; his third career five-for reward for his consistent and probing seamers.

Daniel Bell-Drummond and Rob Key were able to see out 15 overs before the close without loss, with Kent 35-0 at stumps, trailing Essex by 18 runs going into the final day.

A total of only seven overs were possible in the morning session due to the rain, with the start delayed by more than an hour. Kent did finally pick up the second Essex wicket in that time, as Claydon found the edge of Westley’s bat in the fourth over of the morning; the opener eventually departing for an excellent 116.

His partnership with Bopara, which totalled 243 before Claydon made the breakthrough, was an Essex record for the second wicket in games against Kent, bettering the previous record of 232 set by Herbert Carpenter and Peter Perrin in 1901.

After the compacted first session, Essex began the afternoon with the score at 277-2, at which point they still trailed Kent by 110 runs.

Overseas signing Jesse Ryder fell in the second over after the interval, becoming Claydon’s third victim as he saw his off and leg stumps knocked out of the ground for 10, leaving the score 283-3.

James Foster brought himself up the order to come in at number five, and looked to push on and bat aggressively as the visitors went after maximum batting points. He put on 78 in 16 overs with Bopara, who also passed 150 in that time, as the pair took the score to 361. Foster pulled Darren Stevens for a six over midwicket before feathering a catch behind to Sam Billings, standing up to the stumps, next ball, departing for a well-made 46 from only 53 deliveries.

Essex knew that they had to reach 400 inside 110 overs to secure their fifth and final batting point, and would do so – just – taking the lead in the match but losing four more wickets in the process.

Ben Harmison came into the attack and picked up a couple of wickets as the batsmen looked to secure the bonus point. He was hit for three consecutive fours by Bopara, who finally had his six hour stay at the crease ended as he edged behind next ball for 162, while Ryan ten Doeschate made 20 from 15 balls before giving the former Durham-man his second wicket, as he edged low to Stevens in the slips.

Ten Doeschate’s was the first of three wickets to fall with the score on 399, as Essex went into the 110^th over – Adam Riley’s first of the day – needing just one from it to reach the 400-mark.

Ben Foakes (6) was bowled attempting to heave a delivery from the off-spinner away, before Monty Panesar tried to find the run by going over the top, only to be superbly caught by a leaping Doug Bollinger at mid-on. Tymal Mills came in for the final ball of the over, and was able to pull it away to secure the fifth batting point for the visitors, which will go alongside the three points they picked up with the ball.

Mills then continued to go after the bowlers, hitting 30 from just 17 balls before further rain brought an early tea, at which stage Essex had extended their lead to 46, with the score 433-8.

The evening session was unsurprisingly delayed due to the elements, although when it did get underway, Claydon was able to pick up the remaining two wickets relatively hassle-free, securing the third five-wicket haul of his First Class career in the process. He trapped Mills lbw with no score added after the break, before having Masters well caught by Brendan Nash running back at point for 5.

That left the visitors 440 all out, with a lead of 53 over Kent on first innings, although any result other than the draw still unlikely with just the one day remaining.

Kent had fifteen overs to see out before the close of play, and the opening pair of Daniel Bell-Drummond and captain Rob Key were able to do so, despite some testing bowling from the Essex attack, and one huge caught behind shout on Bell-Drummond off the bowling of Ryder.

Kent will resume the final day on 35-0, with Key on 17 and Bell-Drummond on 12, and Essex’s lead 18 runs.

 

 

Stumps, day three: Kent vs. Essex, LV=County Championship Division Two, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury, 7-10 June 2014:

Essex 440 (Bopara 162, Westley 116; Claydon 5-82) lead Kent 387 (Stevens 105, Nash 82, Bell-Drummond 56; Ryder 5-54) and 35-0 by 18 runs

 

Kent: Bell-Drummond, Key*, Northeast, Nash, Harmison, Stevens, Billings†, Ball, Claydon, Riley, Bollinger

Essex: Westley, Browne, Bopara, Ryder, Foster*†, Foakes, ten Doeschate, Panesar, Masters, Mills, Moore

Kent won the toss and elected to bat

Bonus points: Kent 6, Essex 8

 

Full scorecard available here

 

Pictures supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com