An unbeaten stand of 96 between Ben Harmison and Sam Billings has given Kent fans some hope going into the final day’s play against Gloucestershire.
The pair came together with Kent stuttering at 69 for 5 in their second innings, after being set a mammoth 582 runs to win by the home side who declared on 443 for 6 earlier in the day.
With the play expected to have been more weather-affected over the remaining two days, Kent were to be disappointed with Mother Nature as a whole day’s play was possible.
Resuming on 213 for 4, already leading Kent by 351 runs, Gloucestershire opted to bat on and on, whilst there was absolutely no threat from Kent bowlers with Brendan Nash bowling 40 minutes into the day as Kent waited for the declaration to come.
Gareth Roderick was to pass 50 for Gloucestershire, from just 65 balls with the lead passing the 400 point as he and Hamish Marshall piled on the runs.
Thirty five year old Marshall was to bring up his ton from 221 balls with 9 fours for his 25th First Class century.
It was Darren Stevens that eventually broke the partnership as he trapped Gareth Roderick lbw for an excellent 85 from just 95 balls with Gloucestershire on 340-5, leading by 478.
Marshall was bowled by Stevens for 118 shortly after to give the Kent all-rounder his fifth wicket with Gloucestershire 351-6, but the home side opted to bat on.
It was to be Steven’s sixth First Class five-wicket haul, his second in consecutive matches after 5-24 in first innings against Derbyshire last week.
At lunch Gloucestershire had reached 374-6, leading by 512 and it seemed as though a post-lunch declaration was surely imminent, but the home side opted to bat on further.
Benny Howell was to smash everything that came his way and a 25-ball 51 brought up his 9th First Class half-century with Gloucestershire finally pulling out at 443 for 6, a lead of 581.
Set a theoretical target of 582, which would be a world record, Kent knew they basically had to bat out four and a half sessions to get a draw. (WR – 541, West Zone vs. South Zone in Hyderabad, India in 2010)
Their attempts to bat out the day was in tatters with openers Rob Key and Sam Northeast coming to the crease at 2:20pm.
Key was to edge Will Gidman to Chris Dent at second slip for 3, trying to drive when he shouldn’t have been, and was livid with himself.
At 10/1 and Daniel Bell-Drummond in at three, it was to soon be 11/2 with the young batsman out lbw to Fuller without troubling the scorers.
Brendan Nash’s stay at the crease was almost as short lived as he picked out Ben Howell off Will Gidman for just nine leaving Kent struggling on 24/3.
When Sam Northeast was lbw to Tom Smith for 20, Kent had collapsed to 47/4 and the game looked to be destined to be over by the end of the day.
Darren Stevens was to edge Will Gidman behind for just 10 and at 69/5 the writing seemed to be on the wall, but Harmison and Billings were to show some true spirit seeing the side through to the close without further alarm.
Harmison was the first to pass fifty with Billings notching up his first First Class County Championship fifty in the last over of the day, seeing the side through to 165/5.
The Kent dressing room will now be praying for more of the same from the two batsmen at the crease, and maybe a little bit of rain too.
Stumps, day three:
Gloucestershire vs. Kent, LV= County Championship Division Two, The Bristol County Ground, Bristol, 18-21 May 2014:
Gloucestershire 443-6dec (Marshall 118, A Gidman 85; Stevens 5-87) and 252 all out (Roderick 59, Riley 3-51) lead Kent 165-5 (Harmison 66no, Billings 51no) & 114 all out (Billings 42, Ball 37, W Gidman 4-14, Fuller 4-32) by 416 runs
Gloucestershire: Klinger*, Dent, Tavaré, Gidman, Marshall, Roderick†, Gidman, Howell, Smith, Fuller, Taylor
Kent: Northeast, Key*, Bell-Drummond, Nash, Harmison, Stevens, Billings†, Ball, Claydon, Riley, Bollinger
Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat
Bonus points: Gloucestershire 5, Kent 3
Full scorecard available here
Picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com