Glamorgan need 404 runs to win at Canterbury

The flowers are blooming in the Garden of England and visitors to the beautiful tree-lined St.Lawrence ground at Canterbury witnessed the further flourishing of one of the men from the Daffodil county as Will Bragg completed his second century of this season's Championship campaign and, after being dropped on 16 in the slips, he staged a spirited riposte to prevent Kent from securing a sizeable lead.


His efforts meant Kent began the third day of this enthralling contest leading by 77 runs as Daniel Bell-Drummond and night-watchman James Tredwell resumed the batting under a heavy cloud cover and with a few spots of rain falling from the leaden skies. Tredwell began by cover-driving Graham Wagg but Michael Hogan struck with his fifth delivery as he trapped Bell-Drummond leg before.


Tredwell then edged Wagg over the slip cordon for four before Joe Denly drilled Hogan through extra cover as well as glancing him to fine-leg as the cloud cover dissipated and the ground was bathed in sunshine. With plenty of blue sky above him Tredwell again edged an expensive drive over the head of the slips against Meschede before more correctly punching him through extra cover. Denly then greeted the return of Hogan at the Nackington Road End by driving him through mid-off for four before bringing up the 50 by drilling him through extra cover.


Denly continued to trade in boundaries as he pulled Hogan to the ropes at deep mid-wicket before cover driving Meschede. He also biffed Dean Cosker straight for four when he entered the fray in place of Hogan although his drive nearly ended back in the twirler's outstretched hands. Denly celebrated his good fortune by despatching David Lloyd through the covers as well as nurdling him through the slips.


He continued his aggressive intent by lofting Cosker high over long-on for six and his efforts appear to rub off on Tredwell who punched Lloyd through extra cover and then lofted Cosker to wide long-on before the pair completed a century stand shortly before the interval.

Kent had reached 115/1 at lunch, leading Glamorgan by 191 runs with Joe Denly and James Tredwell seeking to build their lead during the afternoon and to lay the platform for a declaration. Denly immediately set the tone by pulling a long-hop from Hogan for four but he then shouldered arms to Graham Wagg and was bowled to give the bowler his 350^th scalp in all first-class cricket.


124/2 saw Brendon Nash join Tredwell and the former West Indian all-rounder got off the mark by cover driving Wagg and then leg-glancing Craig Meschede for four. In Meschede's next over he struck successive fours through backward point and extra cover before he drilled Wagg through cover for a coruscating four. By this time, the obdurate Tredwell had reached his fifty from 124 balls - his first Championship half-century for Kent for three years - as his team's lead also soared past the 250-mark.


But Tredwell's stay at the crease finally came to an end with the total on 175/3 as he drove a ball straight to Chris Cooke at short extra-cover. Five balls later, the Australian struck again as he bowled Sam Northeast. His replacement Fabian Cowdrey then got off the mark with a straight six against Cosker which saw the ball end up in the front row of the stand named in honour of the batsman's grandfather and leaving a few wags to speculate on the number of times the great Kent and England batsman began an innings at this ground - or indeed anywhere - with a lofted six.


Nash continued to pepper the boundary boards by square-driving Meschede but in the all-rounders next over, Nash miscued another assertive blow and spooned a catch for Mark Wallace to complete. 197/5 saw Darren Stevens join Cowdrey and the pair brought up the 200 shortly before tea with Stevens scything Meschede over the slip cordon.

Having reached 228/5 at tea and a lead of 304 runs, Kent were looking to add further runs before setting Glamorgan a target on a wicket which appeared to have eased. Fabian Cowdrey showed the positive intent by striking Michael Hogan for successive fours in the first over after the interval but he lost his partner Darren Stevens in the next over as he tried to glance Graham Wagg, with Mark Wallace completing the catch down the leg-side.


With Sam Billings as his new partner, Cowdrey then cut Wagg for four before clipping the next ball to the ropes at mid-wicket en route to a 63-ball. Billings maintained the flurry of boundaries by twice clipping Hogan to the mid-wicket ropes before reverse-sweeping Cosker for another boundary. He then survived a stumping chance against Cosker but with the total on 284 Cowdrey pulled a ball from Lloyd straight to James Kettleborough on the mid-wicket boundary.


Billings continued to find the ropes as he firstly danced down the wicket and drove Lloyd through mid-off before reverse-sweeping Cosker for another four. However, the veteran had the last laugh as next ball - and the total on 297/8 - Billings chipped a ball to Hogan at short mid-wicket. Ten runs later the evergreen spinner struck again as Matt Coles heaved a ball to Kettleborough on the mid-wicket boundary.


Hogan and Wagg then returned as the new ball was taken with Kent on 315/9, with Haggett clubbing Wagg for a pair of lusty fours which took the lead past 400, but next over Hogan re-arranged Haggett's stumps as Kent's second innings ended with 11 overs remaining in the day's quota.


Jacques Rudolph and Kettleborough began Glamorgan's response under clear blue skies. The latter clipped the second delivery from Coles to square leg for four before the former despatched Ivan Thomas' opening delivery through the covers. The Glamorgan captain repeated the stroke in the next over before despatching Coles through backward point. But he then was bowled, seemingly off an inside edge, by Coles as Glamorgan lost their first wicket on 25.


His departure prompted the arrival of night-watchman Dean Cosker who together with Kettleborough safely negotiated the remaining five overs as the Welsh county ended on 32/1, leaving them needing 372 runs tomorrow to secure their first Championship victory of the summer.