Morning Report
The bunting around Canterbury, as well as decorations hanging at The Spitfire St. Lawrence ground, had been installed for the VE Day 80 celebrations which preceded the game with Glamorgan. But two of the visitor’s young batters could have been excused yesterday for wanting to borrow it for their own personal celebrations as, after being put in to bat on a pitch with a green hue, Asa Tribe and Ben Kellaway guided their team to the cusp of four batting points, with each of the twenty-one year-olds recording career-bests as Glamorgan ended a highly productive day on 389-7.
Kellaway walked to the middle this morning requiring a further nine runs to complete a maiden Championship hundred. George Garrett and Kashif Ali resumed the bowling with new batter Andy Gorvin nurdling both bowlers to the vacant ropes at third man, before a series of singles by Kellaway followed by a silky-smooth cover drive for three against Kashif as he completed his maiden century from 159 balls. He repeated the stroke next over against Stewart, this time for four, before hooking the bowler for another boundary to fine-leg.
Yesterday, Kent had spurned three catches and this morning wicket-keeper Chris Benjamin made it four as he dropped an edge from Gorvin, much to the annoyance of Kashif. He was then replaced at the Pavilion End by Matthew Parkinson with the pair continuing their sober accumulation against the wrist spinner. Gorvin, another invaluable product of the University system, also looked in fine touch as he pulled Stewart for four to serenely bring up the fifty stand.
Kellaway greeted the return of Garrett to the attack by drilling him through mid-off four and to bring up the 450 in the 114th over. Kellaway, after surviving a stumping chance off Kellaway, swept the spinner to fine-leg before Gorvin deftly upper-cut Garrett for another boundary. Kellaway then nonchalantly drove Parkinson to long-off for four before Gorvin cover-drove Garrett as their stand approached the century mark.
The pair reached this landmark as Kellaway square-drove Ekash Singh but with the total on 497 Gorvin, on 47, swept Parkinson into the hands of deep square-leg.
Afternoon Update
Glamorgan began the afternoon on 498-8 with a cover drive for four by James Harris against Ekash Singh seeing the Welsh county to the 500-mark. With a declaration imminent, both batters opened their shoulders against Matt Parkinson with Harris bowled attempting a heave towards mid-wicket before Ben Kellaway scooped Singh to fine-leg – his 16th boundary – to reach 150.
He celebrated by pulling Parkinson for three successive sixes – the first to long-on and the second pair to wide mid-wicket as he went past the previous highest individual score for Glamorgan at the ground beating David Hemp’s 171* in 2005. Next over a flick to square-leg against Singh took the total to 548 and surpassing Glamorgan’s previous best at the ground - 544 in 1999, before the declaration came at the end of the over with another single having been added.
Harris took the new ball with van der Gugten and was soon amongst the wickets as Harry Finch departed l.b.w. to Harris’ second delivery. 5-1 might have become 12-2 but another appeal by van der Gugten against Daniel Bell-Drummond was turned down. But two overs later it did become 12-2 as Ben Compton edged a ball from Harris which looped in the air to point where a tumbling Kellaway touched the ball for the first time in the innings by completing the catch.
Van der Gugten’s parsimony and probing line at the Nackington Road End was rewarded as he found the outside edge of Bell-Drummond’s bat with Ingram taking a good catch diving low at first slip. 18-3 saw Jack Leaning make his way to the middle to join Tawenda Muyeye but their partnership only lasted 5 runs as the latter inside-edged a delivery against the Dutch international with Asa Tribe completing a regulation catch at short leg.
23-4 then became 23-5 as Ekash Singh followed in identical fashion as van der Gugten completed a waspish spell of 3/5 in the space of 12 balls. Asitha Fernando replaced Harris at the Pavilion End and nearly struck as an inside-edge from Jack Leaning’s bat flew past leg stump and sped away to the boundary. Andy Gorvin also found the edge of Chris Benjamin’s bat with the ball flying through a vacant gully.
Evening Report
Resuming on a paltry 50-5 at tea, Kent’s prime objective was to re-group and bat out the remaining 32 overs without the loss of further wickets. Van der Gugten and ul Hassan resumed the bowling duties with Chris Benjamin, after being struck a painful blow amidships by the latter, gaining revenge by cover driving him for four followed by a slash through backward point.
The ball continued to jag around with several appeals for l.b.w. turned down, as well as both batters playing and missing, before Leaning twice straight drove Asitha Fernando for four with Benjamin also gliding ul Hassan through backward point as well as cover-driving James Harris as the 100 came up in the 37th over.
Leaning had a moment of good fortune as he edged Fernando over the slip cordon for four, but two balls later he was adjudged l.b.w. to the Sri Lankan. 104-6 saw the arrival of Grant Stewart in the middle and he began with a straight drive for four but, in the next over, he chopped Harris onto his stumps as Kent’s decline continued to 109-7. Benjamin clipped Fernando for a single to reach his maiden fifty for Kent before Matt Parkinson swatted the Sri Lankan for four.
Benjamin also cover drove Harris for a pair of fours before Parkinson scythed the seamer to third man followed by an edge through the slips for four. But Gorvin returned and removed Parkinson who inside-edged a delivery into the gloves of the diving Cooke. 140-8 saw the arrival in the middle of George Garrett who helped Benjamin see Kent to the close without the further loss of wickets.
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