The day started and finished with Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens batting together. What happened in between probably summed up Kent’s County Championship season so far.

As Kent looked to try and get somewhere close to Glamorgan’s first innings score of 378, both fell early to the bowling of James Allenby.

Geraint Jones didn’t last long, appearing to play over a delivery from Michael Hogan, and debutant Mitchell Claydon soon followed off the bowling of Graham Wagg.

Calum Haggett’s vigil came to an end when he shouldered arms to a straight one from Michael Reed and a bright and breezy partnership between Alex Riley and Charlie Shreck was ended by an edge from the former off the first ball he had faced from Dean Cosker.

Glamorgan enforced the follow on and in so doing, gave Kent an outside chance of winning if they batted a lot better second time around.

Sam Northeast had to see out one Graham Wagg over before lunch as Kent looked to dig in during the afternoon.

Although still windy, the sun made an appearance in the afternoon and Kent’s batting was far better than first time around.

Northeast and Robert Key put on 75 for the first wicket at around 3.5 runs per over before Northeast was surprised by a Reed delivery that climbed on him and he could only fend it off to be caught by Cosker.

Daniel Bell-Drummond joined Key and attempted to dominate Cosker but having pulled him for six over the short square leg boundary, and struck him for a four all along the ground, he went hard at another delivery and edged to slip where Allenby held on well to a sharp chance.

Brendan Nash then joined Key and the two of them batted excellently together giving Kent hope of scoring the runs needed to set a target for Glamorgan on the final day. Disaster struck Kent, however, when the partnership had added 95 entertaining runs.

Having just completed his half century, Nash edged a Hogan delivery and was caught by Stewart Walters at slip. No further run had been added when Key was dismissed shouldering arms to a Cosker delivery that struck his pad and he was adjudged LBW for 85.

Harmison and Stevens then set about another partnership and mixed attack and defence to see Kent pass the target needed to require Glamorgan to bat again to finish the session 11 runs ahead with one day left.

Kent closed on 254 for 4 with Harmison unbeaten on 23 and Stevens 35 not out including one towering straight six, and knowing that a good morning session on the final day could allow them to give the visitors a challenging chase.

 

Glamorgan won the toss and elected to bat.

Kent side: Key, Northeast, Nash, Stevens, Bell-Drummond, Harmison, Jones, Claydon, Haggett, Riley, Shreck.

Glamorgan side: Wright, Bragg, Walters, North, Goodwin, Allenby, Wallace, Wagg, Cosker, Hogan, Reed.

Close of play day three: Glamorgan 378 all out (Goodwin 136; Haggett 4-94, Claydon 3-85, Shreck 3-107), Kent 135 all out & 254/4.

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