Kent stand just 238 runs short of victory going into the final day of their County Championship game against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Daniel Bell-Drummond was unbeaten on 26 and Ben Harmison 24 at the close of day three, giving Rob Key’s side every chance to push for victory on Thursday.

It was an entertaining third day with Josh Cobb scoring his first century for two years and Rob Taylor hit a career-best 98 as Leicestershire staged a spirited fightback.

The pair shared a sixth-wicket stand of 175 to help Leicestershire reach 388 in their second innings and set Kent a victory target of 304.

At the start of the day few would have predicted such an impressive recovery by Leicestershire and, from Kent’s point of view, things might have been different had Cobb not been dropped in the second over of the morning.

Harmison spilled a straightforward catch at gully when Cobb, having added only one run to his overnight score of 17, fenced at a delivery from former Foxes favourite Stevens.

It proved a costly miss for Kent, and the stroke of good fortune Leicestershire’s young captain needed to regain the confidence required to convert half-centuries into something more substantial.

Before this innings Cobb had made it past 50 on five occasions this year but had a top score of only 70. However, the escape clearly energised him and he led by example as the runs flowed.

Darren Stevens finished with 5-85 in the Leicestershire innings and Mitchell Claydon picked up another three wickets to add to the five he took on the first day.

Rob Key was the man out in the Kent innings, trapped lbw by Ben Raine for 16, but Leicestershire did not help their cause with some erratic bowling which allowed Kent to hit 13 boundaries before the close.

Stumps, day three: Leicestershire vs. Kent, LV=County Championship Division Two, Grace Road, Leicester, 7-10 July 2014:

Leicestershire 399 (Cobb 137, Taylor 98; Stevens 6-85) and 217 (Robson 56; Claydon 5-77, Hartley 2-40) lead Kent 66 for 1 and 302 (Claydon 77, Stevens 57; Buck 4-97) by 237 runs

 

Leicestershire: Smith, Robson, Eckersley, Cobb*, Redfern, O’Brien†, Taylor, Raine, Naik, Buck, Shreck

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

Kent won the toss and elected to bowl

Bonus points: Leicestershire 4, Kent 6

Full scorecard available here

 

Picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com