Kent’s County Championship game with Worcestershire petered out to a draw, with no play at all possible on the final day at Tunbridge Wells.

Having completed a full compliment of 96.4 overs on the first day on Sunday, by the end of which Kent had been bowled out for 258, only 14.1 overs were possible on day two, 17 balls on day three, and nothing on the fourth and final day today.

In the playing time on days two and three that was possible, Daryl Mitchell (33 not out) and Matt Pardoe (30 not out) and taken the visitors’ first innings reply to 67-0.

Despite the damp conditions having been causing problems since the start of the day on Monday, the umpires did not officially abandon the match until shortly after 3pm on the final day. Though there had been little to no further rain in the morning or early afternoon today, but the on-field conditions were not considered safe enough for play to get underway, with the bowlers’ run up from the Railway End seemingly particularly treacherous.

High-flying Worcestershire, who occupied second place in the County Championship Division Two before this game, take eight points from the match – five for the draw plus three bowling bonus points – while Kent take seven – five for the draw and two batting bonus points.

Kent’s next fixture sees them take on Gloucestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast at Canterbury on Friday night, which will start at 7pm.

They have no County Championship game next week, although they are in fact entering one of the busiest periods of their season. The squad travel to Southampton to take on Hampshire in another NatWest T20 Blast encounter at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday (5 June), before returning to Canterbury to take on Middlesex on Friday (6 June) night.

Kent fans’ next chance to see their side in a four-day match will come when they face Essex at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, starting the very next day – Saturday 7 June.

 

Close of play, day four: Kent vs. Worcestershire, LV=County Championship Division Two, The Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells, 25-28 May 2014:

Kent 258 all out (Northeast 53, Harmison 47, Leach 5-36) drew with Worcestershire 67-0

 

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

Worcestershire: Mitchell*, Pardoe, Ali, Fell, Kervezee, Whiteley, Cox†, Leach, Shantry, Ajmal, Morris

Kent won the toss and elected to bat

Points: Kent 7, Worcestershire 8

 

Full scorecard available here

 

Picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com