A spell of three wickets for no runs in eight balls by Michael Hogan saw Kent slump to 98/6 before bad light brought an early finish to the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at Canterbury leading the Welsh county by 171 runs.
Evening Report
Kent began their second innings 73 runs to the good and with 36 overs remaining in the day’s quota as Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson took guard after tea. Lukas Carey and Michael Hogan shared the new ball with the latter looking for three more wickets to reach the personal landmark of 500 first-class wickets.
In another probing new ball spell, Carey nearly made an early breakthrough but an edge from Dickson’s bat flew just out of the reach of the slip cordon. However, Hogan was not to be denied further scalps as with the total on 23 Bell-Drummond departed leg before as he propped half forward to the Glamorgan captain.
Seven balls later Denly was trapped l.b.w. by a full length ball from Hogan before the bowler gained his prized 500th wicket as Kent captain, Sam Northeast was caught behind first ball, attempting to hook his opposite number. With Kent on 24/3 Ruaidhri Smith replaced Carey at the Nackington Road End and with his fourth ball, he had Zak Crawley l.b.w with another delivery of full length.
His departure saw reserve wicket-keeper Adam Rouse make his way to the middle having been drafted into the side following Sam Billings’ call-up into the England squad earlier in the afternoon for their One-Day International series against the West Indies. Dickson cover drove Craig Meschede for four, but with the total on 37 Smith struck again as Dickson edged a rising ball into Cooke’s gloves as Glamorgan surged back into the game.
A Kent fightback then followed as Stevens responded by drilling Meschede through mid-off for four and to the ropes at square-leg, whilst Rouse also off-drove Meschede to the boards in front of the Pavilion before outside edging an expansive drive against the all-rounder to the ropes at third man.
Stevens then drove Smith through mid-off for another coruscating four before Carey returned and found the outside edge of Rouse’s bat, only to see the ball fly out of the reach of third slip. He then greeted the return of Hogan by carving him through point for four before Stevens survived a loud appeal for l.b.w. against Carey before splicing the next ball over the head of the slips for four.
Stevens then drove Hogan over the head of mid-off for four but the red ball captain struck back as three balls later he bowled Stevens, to claim his 50th first-class wicket of the summer and his 48th in the Championship to leave Kent on 98/6 before soon afterwards, bad light brought an early finish with sevn balls remaining.
Afternoon Report
Glamorgan had reached 101/5 at lunch with Cooke having pulled and cut Stewart for a pair of fours when the rookie dropped short in the penultimate over. He began the afternoon session by cover-driving Stevens for four before doing the same to Adam Milne, as well as steering the Kiwi through the gully for another boundary. There was still plenty of lateral movement and swing for the home attack.
The watchful Andrew Salter greeted the return of Callum Haggett into the attack by gliding him to third man but he departed next over, with the total on 130, as Daniel Bell-Drummond at mid-off took a good catch diving low to his right. Craig Meschede became Cooke’s new partner and he began by twice driving Haggett to long-off for four as blue sky and sunshine replaced the fifty shades of grey cloud which had engulfed the ground since early morning.
Cooke was one short of a deserved fifty as he edged Haggett to second slip as Glamorgan slipped to 146/7. Ruaidhri Smith began by clipping Haggett to mid-wicket for three before Meschede hit successive balls from his former Somerset team-mate to the legside boundary as the deficit dropped below the 150-mark.
Smith celebrated by square-cutting Grant Stewart for four before Meschede straight drove Milne for another boundary, followed by a rasping square drive against Stewart. Meschede’s next four was more fortuitous as he thick-edged Stewart to third man. Smith then on-drove and straight-drove Imraan Qayyum ‘s first two deliveries.
Their fifty stand came up courtesy of a rasping pull for four by Meschede against Stewart, but the debutant claimed his maiden first-class victim as the all-rounder edged a ball and was caught behind for 44. 203/8 saw Lukas Carey join Smith and the new batsman began by flicking Stewart to fine-leg, but the young bowler made amends as shortly afterwards Carey edged to second slip where Sean Dickson completed the regulation catch.
Hogan opened his account by slashing Stewart through point before Smith reverse-swept Qayyum for four followed by a flat-batted six high over mid-wicket. The spinner however then ended the innings as Smith reverse-swept him into the hands of first slip as Glamorgan ended on 229, with a deficit of 73 runs.
Morning update
Whilst Media attention was focussed on the promotion and relegation scraps elsewhere, there was plenty of interest yesterday on events at Canterbury as both teams gave opportunities to their rising crop of young talent. In Glamorgan’s case, seven of the starting XI had come up through the junior ranks and the youthful zest and vigour was apparent in the field as Kent, largely through the efforts of Joe Denly made 302 after bei g put in to bat.
Despite the loss of Nick Selman, Jack Murphy and Connor Brown watchfully saw Glamorgan to the close, and the pair - with just four previous Championship appearances between them - took guard again at 10.30am as day two commenced in overcast and misty conditions with Adam Milne and Darren Stevens continuing the bowling duties.
But it was not all about the new brigade as in the fourth over of the morning, the veteran Stevens struck a blow for the old guard as he trapped Brown – who was not even born when he began his county career in 1997 - l.b.w. with the Glamorgan total on 20. Kiran Carlson joined Murphy who responded by pulling Milne for four and then top-edging another hook just short of the fielder at long-leg.
But Milne gained revenge as with the total on 32, Murphy swatted a ball to Daniel Bell-Drummond at point as David Lloyd arrived for his first Championship innings since mid-June. He duly cover drove his second ball through the covers for four before Carlson edged Stevens over the head of the slip cordon. Lloyd square-drove Milne for another four as the floodlights came on before bringing up the fifty by drilling a no-ball from the Kiwi through backward point.
Milne was then replaced by Callum Haggett at the Nackington Road End and the new bowler struck with his opening delivery as Lloyd feathered a catch to Billings with the wicket-keeper pouching the ball as he sprawled across in front of the slips. Chris Cooke opened his account by despatching a rare short ball from Stevens through extra cover for four before glancing him to long-leg and driving him to the ropes at long-off.
But Haggett struck again with the total on 65 as Carlson edged a ball onto his stumps. Andrew Salter began by twice off-driving Haggett for four before Grant Stewart, the young Australian with an Italian mother, replaced Stevens after an hour and a half at the Pavilion End. Both batsmen played and missed against him as the ball continued to dart around in the overcast conditions.