168 by Zak Crawley and 85 from Sam Billings saw Kent to 436 and a full set of batting points on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at an overcast and blustery Canterbury with the home side leading by 250 runs. By the close, Glamorgan had slipped to 33/4 in their second innings.
Evening Report
The rain had ceased by the end of the early tea interval so play was able to resume on time with Billings outside edging a drive against Smith for four before almost miscuing the next delivery to Kiran Carlson at short extra-cover. His luck continued next over as he outside edged and inside edged balls for four, before spooning the seamer to mid-on only for the diving fielder to spill the ball as Smith stood aghast with arms akimbo in mid-pitch.
Smith’s mood did not lighten when Robinson, in the seamer’s next over, edged just short of Selman at second slip but two balls later, Smith was all smiles as the batsman flicked at a legside delivery and edged into Cook’s gloves. 338/7 saw the arrival of Darren Stevens with the veteran getting off the mark by also outside-edging Smith to the ropes at third man. Next over he steered Hogan through backward point to see Kent to 350 and another batting point.
Hogan then switched to the Pavilion End and bowled Billings with a delivery which scuttled through to end his three-hour occupation of the crease. With Grant Stewart as his new partner, Stevens scythed Meschede over the slip cordon for four before flaying him through point for another boundary. Stevens then dabbed Hogan through gully for four more, as the lead approached the 200-mark. Stewart also cover drove Meschede before surviving a chance to Cooke who could not quite grasp an inside edge.
Stevens then drilled Meschede through mid-off but Jeremy Lawlor returned to the attack and with his first delivery removed the veteran who tamely chipped a ball to a diving Carlson at cover. 390/9 saw Matt henry make his way to the middle with ten runs still needed for another bonus point. This became five as, after a single from Stewart, Henry off drove Meschede, and then one as Henry edged the all-rounder to third man. To loud applause from the home fans, he then repeated the stroke to the next ball.
Stewart also spliced Lawlor for four through point before Henry outside-edged van der Gugten through the slips for four followed by a lofted drive for six against Lawlor. But his merry spree ended as Bull returned to the attack and removed Henry as he holed out at deep mid-wicket where Lawlor took a good sprawling catch.
There were fourteen overs remaining as Stephen Cook and Nick Selman began Glamorgan’s second innings, 250 runs in arrears, with Cook thick-edging Henry to third man for four followed by a cover drive and an on-drive for further fours in an eventful opening over. But Stevens struck with his third delivery as Selman edged to second slip before the all-rounder added a second scalp in his third over as Cook edged to first slip with Glamorgan sliding to 15/2, and all without Stevens yielding a run.
Jack Murphy on-drove Henry whilst Carlson clipped Stevens to fine-leg and, but in the 11th over Carlson under-edged a long-hop from Denly onto his stumps as the leg-spinner replaced Henry at the Nackington Road End. Nightwatchman Kieran Bull came in with four overs remaining, but he perished in the final over as he edged Henry to Dickson in the slips as Glamorgan ended on 33/4.
Afternoon Update
Kent began the post-lunch session on 190/5 with a slender lead of five, as Kieran Bull and Michael Hogan resumed the bowling duties. An outside edge for four by Sam Billings against the latter saw Kent move to within one blow of a batting point and later in the over, the home captain repeated the stroke as his side reached 200.
Shortly afterwards, Zak Crawley glanced Hogan to long-leg for four as the wind at the St. Lawrence ground intensified causing several short stoppages as the bowlers were blown off balance or loose objects either swirled around or flapped by the sightscreens causing distractions for the batsmen.
Billings survived a sharp stumping chance as he advanced down the wicket to Bull only to miss the ball, which ricocheted off his pads just out of the reach of wicket-keeper Cooke. Billings then punched Bull through the covers for four and with his captain being the more assertive of the pair of batsmen, Crawley continued to creep along with a series of singles. His sequence ended as he drove Craig Meschede for three before edging the all-rounder first bounce to slip.
Crawley celebrated his good fortune by straight-driving successive deliveries from Meschede to the ropes, which were clearly visible with advertising boards having been taken away for winter storage, rather than adding to the list of objects being blown around by the remnants of the tropical storm. The blustery conditions also prevented the Canterbury floodlights from being used, and with a heavy cloud cover, the umpires also checked their light meters.
Despite the murk, Crawley reached his 150 from 216 balls, before clipping Meschede to square-leg Billings – omitted from England’s ODI squad to tour Sri Lanka - drove Bull to long-off for four to complete his half-century from 74 balls. Crawley then off-drove Bull for four, but the wily spinner then floated the next delivery past his bat as Kent lost their sixth wicket on 294 and the Welsh county claimed a second bonus point.
Ollie Robinson announced his arrival at the crease by cover-driving both bowlers before the new ball was taken after 80 overs as van der Gugten returned to the attack, but the light drizzle turned into steady rain as the players left the field for an early tea with Kent on 313/6.
Morning Update
Today, September 19th, 2018 is the 25th anniversary of the day when Glamorgan, led by Hugh Morris and with Viv Richards as the overseas player, defeated Kent at Canterbury to win the Sunday League – the Club’s first piece of one-day silverware. A quarter of a century later, there is no jazz band today at the St. Lawrence ground, no coloured clothing or other razzamatazz, and no emotion-charged finale for an iconic figure in world cricket. Instead, it is Kent who are looking forward to be in party mode later in the week as they seek the victory which will take them back into Division One for the 2019 Specsavers County Championship.
Having dismissed Glamorgan for 186 yesterday, Kent were 93/2 by the close of play last night with Zak Crawley and night-watchman Harry Podmore resuming this morning against Michael Hogan and Timm van der Gugten. A leg-glance by Crawley saw Kent into three figures before he off-drove Hogan, but the latter claimed the day’s first wicket, courtesy of a fine one-handed catch down the leg-side by Chris Cooke, as Podmore returned to the pavilion with the total on 109.
Heino Kuhn joined Crawley and cover-drove van der Gugten before flat-batting him through mid-off. Ruaidhri Smith then had a spell at the Nackington Road End with Crawley dispatching him through mid-off in his opening over. But in his second Smith removed Kuhn who also fell to a legside catch by the wicket-keeper.
132/4 saw Daniel Bell-Drummond join Crawley, who swatted Smith just over the outstretched hands of Jack Murphy at deep backward square-leg. Jeremy Lawlor also had a spell at the Pavilion End before Crawley steered Meschede to third man for four en route to a 141-ball hundred after three hours at the crease. But with the total on 162 Bell-Drummond edged Meschede to second slip where Nick Selman safely held the waist-high catch.
Home captain Sam Billings then joined Crawley who continued his assertive innings by late cutting and nurdling successive balls from Lawlor through third man for four. Billings began by on-driving Meschede for four before Kieran Bull returned to the attack after 51 overs and had a short spell before the interval.