Kent are staring down the barrel of their third Championship defeat of the season after another tough day’s cricket against Glamorgan at Cardiff.

With the home side having opened up a lead of 274 runs when Kent finally dismissed them for 527, they then took five wickets in the final session to leave Kent 137-5 at stumps on day three, still a further 137 runs away from making their opponents have to bat again.

Jim Allenby became the second man to make a century in the Glamorgan innings, making 100 after Jacques Rudolph’s 103 yesterday, while Chris Cooke and Graham Wagg also made useful contributions on the third day.

Adam Riley completed his fifth career five-wicket haul for Kent, eventually finishing with figures of 5-157 from his 42 overs.

Kent will need to bat out the entirety of the fourth day to secure the unlikeliest of draws, and having lost their top five of Daniel Bell-Drummond, Rob Key, Fabian Cowdrey, Brendan Nash and Ben Harmison before the close, that is a draw that currently looks nigh on impossible.

On another fine day in the Welsh capital, Kent spent much of the morning session toiling away in the field as they had done for the majority of the second day. Jim Allenby and Chris Cooke continued to press home their side’s advantage, having begun the morning already 84 runs ahead with six first-innings wickets still in hand.

It took until around 20 minutes before lunch before Kent finally picked up their first wicket of the day; Mitch Claydon removing Allenby lbw for exactly 100, ending the Australian-born all-rounder’s excellent 143-ball knock.

Chris Cooke looked to be on course for his maiden First Class century, but would also fall before lunch, dismissed four short of the landmark when he dragged a delivery from Riley onto his stumps.

22-year-old Riley would go on to pick up his fourth wicket of the innings not too long after the interval when he trapped Ruaidhri Smith lbw for 5, before Robbie Joseph caught and bowled Andrew Salter off a full toss for 17.

Wagg was the batsman occupying the other end during both of those dismissals, and he became the fifth Glamorgan batsman to pass 50 in their innings before being bowled for 66 to give Riley his five-for.

Brendan Nash took a superb diving catch at short extra-cover in the next over to dismiss Michael Hogan – the last man to fall – off the bowling of Adam Ball, as the home side closed on 527, giving them a massive first-innings lead over Kent of 274 runs.

The visitors’ reply got off to the worst possible start when Daniel Bell-Drummond was dismissed with the very first ball of the innings – a “platinum duck”. He was bowled by Wagg as he played on, seemingly attempting to leave the ball, while his opening partner and captain Rob Key didn’t fare much better, inside-edging Hogan for 1 with wicket-keeper Mark Wallace taking an excellent catch.

Kent fell further into the mire when County Championship debutant Fabian Cowdrey was bowled by Hogan for 9, leaving them 25-3, and having lost their top three while still 249 runs away from making the home side have to bat again.

Brendan Nash made a useful 38 and was looking well set, before an extraordinary bit of fielding from Ben Wright at short leg saw him cling on to a chance off Dean Cosker and leave Kent 61-4.

Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens then put on a useful and sprightly 70 together, scoring quickly with the field up, before Harmison fell less than three overs before the close, edging the off-spin of Andrew Salter to Allenby at slip for 28.

Stevens reached his half-century before stumps; the landmark brought up from just 48 balls, hitting the eleventh boundary of his innings before the close, as Kent finished on 137-5, with Billings also at the crease.

The pair would need to produce something utterly spectacular on the fourth and final day tomorrow to save their side from falling to what would be a third heavy defeat of the season, with a further 137 runs required just to make Glamorgan bat again.

 

 

Stumps, day three: Glamorgan vs. Kent, LV= County Championship, Division Two, SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff, 15-18 June 2014:

Kent 137-5 (Stevens 55; Hogan 2-33) and 253 (Key 63; Hogan 5-58) and 253 (Key 63; Hogan 5-58) trail Glamorgan 527 (Rudolph 103, Allenby 100, Cooke 96, Wallace 82, Wagg 66; Riley 5-157) by 137 runs

 

Glamorgan: Rudolph, Bragg, Wallace*†, Wright, Cooke, Allenby, Wagg, Smith, Salter, Cosker, Hogan

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

Kent won the toss and elected to bat

Bonus points: Glamorgan 8, Kent 3

 

Full scorecard available here

 

Pictures supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com