Matt Parkinson took six wickets as play finally began on day three of relegated Kent’s season-ending County Championship Division 1 game at Durham on Saturday.
Play was abandoned without a ball bowled on days one and two so centurion Alex Lees was on a mission to get quick runs with so much time lost in the game.
Lees was well backed up by Emilio Gay, who made 52, and David Bedingham, who made a swashbuckling 66, as the hosts totalled 360 in their first innings.
Parkinson led a Kent fightback after tea as he picked up 6-109 to give the visitors some hope.
Kent’s response didn’t get off to the best start as they lost early wickets but Harry Finch and Jack Leaning combined for a partnership worth 72 runs to stall the hosts.
They closed on 96-3 – still 264 runs behind Durham.
Parkinson said: “I think, apart from David Bedingham’s knock, it was a decent day.
“From the position we were in at lunch, I think it was 170-9 after lunch, so it was a pretty good day.
“It’s a tough week. To lose the first two days isn’t ideal and to be already down isn’t ideal, as well. I thought the boys stuck at it really well.
“We were very professional and it’s quite a nice thing for the bowling group to have a successful day, going into the winter.
“It’s been a tough season, pitches haven’t been to our liking, we’ve fielded 130-odd overs multiple times so, for us to have a decent day, that’s very pleasing.
“I think I’ve bowled well this year, probably not got the rewards at times when I thought I probably deserved them. So, I was bound to take some poles one day.
“I thought the whole group were really good. The spells that Gilly (Gilchrist) and Joey Evison bowled either side of lunch were fantastic.
“I even thought Jas was fantastic.”
Stand-in Kent captain Leaning won the toss and elected to bowl, Ben McKinney and stand-in skipper Lees opening for the hosts.
Lees found his groove early on with a lovely cover drive off the bowling of Grant Stewart (1-66).
McKinney joined the party as he crunched a glorious shot to the boundary and Lees reached his run-a-ball 50 with eight boundaries.
Kent struck back, though, with Nathan Gilchrist (1-60) removing McKinney for 23 after he was caught in the covers.
Gay, on loan from Northamptonshire ahead of his permanent move to Durham next year, came in and elegantly flicked one off his pads for four.
Lees continued to motor, combining well with Gay, and he carved a Stewart delivery for four to third man.
After lunch, Lees resumed unbeaten on 95 and reached his fourth century of the season from 115 balls just minutes later.
Gay impressed on his home debut, looking calm at the crease and he manipulated the field well, reaching his 50 from 92 balls.
However, he didn’t last much longer as he feathered a Jas Singh (1-61) delivery down the leg-side and it was caught well by Finch behind the stumps.
Bedingham wasted no time getting into the groove as Division 1’s leading run-scorer hit back-to-back sixes over the leg-side boundary from the bowling of Singh.
Bedingham continued to hit the Kent attack around the park, reaching 50 from 30 balls, a knock which had included three fours and four sixes.
Bedingham then continued his onslaught as he smashed a Stewart full toss over the ropes, but he went for one maximum too many as he was caught off the bowling of Parkinson for a 38-ball 66.
Kent got a second wicket in quick succession as Lees fell for an excellent 144 after he was caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of Stewart.
Former Kent wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Robinson holed out for five, giving Parkinson his second of the afternoon, and Bas de Leede quickly followed for a duck.
Durham resumed after tea and 16-year-old James Minto, who was making his home debut, hit his first six in first-class cricket as he smashed a Parkinson delivery down the ground. However, the teenager’s joy did not last as leg-spinner Parkinson bowled him for 25.
Parkinson got his fourth as Daniel Hogg edged to slip and he then got his twin brother Callum out caught and bowled to wrap up his five-wicket haul.
The former Lancashire man claimed his sixth to wrap things up.
Kent’s first-innings reply got off to a rocky start, with Tawanda Muyeye caught behind off Daniel Hogg (1-31) for five.
Kent lost a second wicket as de Leede (1-26) sent Jaydn Denly’s off-stump flying for 12.
But Finch and Leaning then came together and combined well with some lovely shots, only for Colin Ackermann (1-1) to bowl Finch for 34 just before the close.
