Kent need three more Northamptonshire wickets to wrap up a comprehensive victory in their opening Rothesay County Championship match of the season at Wantage Road.
The wickets continued to tumble on day two with Kent collapsing from 66-0 to 171 all out in their second innings.
But the visitors impressed again with the ball as Northants were reduced to 107-7, needing an unlikely 153 more runs for victory.
Kent’s South African bowler Keith Dudgeon said: “It was a bit slow going. I found it quite hard to run into the breeze, but then obviously hitting my straps when the breeze dropped off a little bit and landed the ball in the right areas.
“It’s a lovely group of boys at Kent. They were pretty quick to give me the nickname The Rhino. I don’t know where that came from, but it was so welcoming.
“I was welcomed into the dressing room. I got a spot straight away. Everyone spoke to me with respect. Everyone was so friendly, that’s all you can ask for.
“Coming in as a as an overseas you never really know what you’re going to get and the boys were absolutely awesome, from the coaching staff to the youngsters in the side.”
Kent had made short work of the Northamptonshire tail first thing, taking the last three wickets and a first innings lead of 88 as the hosts were skittled for 143.
Jas Singh finished with career-best figures of 4-35 after ending Rob Keogh’s valiant resistance on 64, caught low at second slip, and then trapping Dom Leech leg before.
Grant Stewart wrapped up the innings when Liam Guthrie was caught down the leg side.
Kent opener Zak Crawley and Ben Compton made batting look straightforward as they put on 61 without loss before lunch.
Crawley (31) looked fluent, playing a carefully controlled on-drive off Luke Procter and taking advantage when Guthrie strayed, turning him off his legs and playing a silky drive through the covers. Compton pulled Guthrie behind square and drove handsomely through extra cover.
But it was a different story after lunch as Raphy Weatherall had his tail up and Kent lost seven wickets for 49 amidst several careless shots which went straight to fielders.
They took three wickets in seven deliveries. Justin Broad struck first, removing Crawley who upper cut straight to Saif Zaib at cover.
In the next over, Zaib took an even sharper catch at short mid-wicket when Daniel Bell-Drummond clipped Weatherall firmly off his legs, while Tawanda Muyeye, top scorer in Kent’s first innings was adjudged lbw for a golden duck. Weatherall was denied the hat-trick when he drew the edge of Jack Leaning’s bat, the ball running just wide of the slips.
Weatherall soon had a third scalp. Bowling around the wicket he sent Compton’s off-stump cartwheeling, doubling his first-class wicket tally in two days.
The succession of Kent wickets continued, Leaning turned Guthrie off his legs, the ball flying to sub fielder Tiaan Louw on the backward square-leg boundary.
Joey Evison played a classy on-drive to take Kent into three figures, but they lost a sixth wicket when a fired-up Leech trapped Harry Finch lbw, followed by Stewart who hooked Procter to mid-wicket.
Evison forged an enterprising 36-run partnership with Keith Dudgeon to regain some momentum, before the South African was caught behind off an attempted cut against Zaib.
The left-arm spinner then found some turn to trap Singh lbw. Evison finally holed out after hitting Leech powerfully to Zaib on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 52.
That left Northants chasing 260 for victory but Kent made a perfect start as Vasconcelos left a Dudgeon delivery which jagged back and hit off-stump.
George Bartlett flashed Gilchrist over the slips for two boundaries and pulled Dudgeon over deep mid-wicket for six, but lived a charmed life, beaten outside off-stump and surviving several appeals and a nick through the slips.
At the other end, Stewart gave Kent a much-needed breakthrough when he drew the edge of Procter’s bat before he bowled Sales shouldering arms to leave them 54-3.
Bartlett was settling into his work now, but Dudgeon (4-32) was determined to get the bulk of the work done before the close and he picked up Zaib (16), Keogh (0) and Lewis McManus (4), all caught expertly by Leaning in the slips.
To cap a terrible session for Northamptonshire, Broad was lbw to Gilchrist for one in the final over, the third batter to shoulder arms, as 92-3 became 107-7.
Northants’ hopes will rest with Bartlett, who resumes unbeaten on 54 in the morning.
Report from ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
