Kent fought back well on day two of their Rothesay County Championship Division 2 match at Derbyshire on Saturday.
Australian opener Caleb Jewell made a career-best 232 from 361 balls out of Derbyshire’s 587-5 declared, their highest-ever total against Kent.
Skipper Wayne Madsen scored 100, the Derbyshire captain’s 40th first-class century for the county, out of a third-wicket stand of 176 with Jewell before Luis Reece plundered an unbeaten half-century
The Kent bowling figures made for sorry reading with leg-spinner Matt Parkinson becoming the first to concede 200 runs in an innings against Derbyshire, eclipsing a record which had stood for 121 years.
But Derbyshire’s bowlers also struggled as Ben Compton offered an unbeaten 105 and captain Daniel Bell-Drummond’s half-century helped Kent to 210-3 at stumps – still 377 behind.
Bell-Drummond said: “Derbyshire batted very well.
“They really put the pressure on us and Jewell played a brilliant innings, but I can’t fault the guys heart and they really fought hard.
“Derbyshire are in a very good position in this game but I was pleased with the batting effort, although we’ve still got a lot of work to do. I think the last session-and-a-half went as well as it could for us, but a lot of work to do tomorrow.
“We just have to play it ball-by-ball and guys, when they get in, [need to] try and make it count, which Ben Compton has done brilliantly and he has a big role to play tomorrow.”
After Jewell had sparkled in the sunshine on day one, it was more of the same despite contrasting conditions on an overcast and breezy morning.
Any hopes Kent had of making inroads with a relatively new ball under grey clouds quickly faded as Jewell and Madsen did pretty much as they pleased.
Kent lost fast bowler Jake Ball (0-114) who was forced to leave the field with an injury nine overs into the session and there was more frustration when Grant Stewart (0-89) had a good shout for lbw against Jewell on 164 turned down.
After Madsen lofted Parkinson (1-204) for four to secure a fourth batting point, Jewell drove the leg-spinner for six to move to within two runs of his double century, which he reached with a scampered single to mid-off.
In the same over, Madsen completed his second ton of the season before he drove Leaning (2-85) into the hands of long-on.
Parkinson beat Brooke Guest’s drive, but it was easily Derbyshire’s morning with 131 runs scored in 30 overs – and there was more to come.
Jewell passed his previous best of 227 for Tasmania against Western Australia but, five runs later, he tried to swing Leaning over mid-wicket and was bowled, bringing to an end the highest score by a Derbyshire batsman against Kent.
There was still no respite for a weary attack as Reece motored to a 46-ball 50 and Martin Andersson cleared the ropes four times before the declaration came four runs after Derbyshire had passed their previous biggest total against Kent of 583-4 at Derby in September 2009.
Not surprisingly, there were some bruised bowling figures, with Parkinson’s 46 overs the most expensive against Derbyshire since Bill Reeves conceded 192 for Essex at Chesterfield in 1904.
Derbyshire also discovered there was little margin for error despite taking the early wicket of Joe Denly, who was playing his first innings of this season after recovering from a broken arm.
Denly was lured into aiming a big drive at Zak Chappell (1-48) and the edge flew to second slip, where Madsen pouched a waist high catch.
Compton and Bell-Drummond responded with a stand of 125 balls from 179 balls and, while Anuj Dal (2-34) tempted the Kent skipper and Tawanda Muyeye into loose strokes, Compton completed a fine century off 151 balls by cutting Chappell for his 13th four.
