Joey Evison made a late breakthrough for Kent on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Lancashire.
Evison removed Keaton Jennings for 49 three overs before the close as Lancashire reached 120-1 in reply to Kent’s first-innings total of 374 at Blackpool.
Earlier, Ben Compton scored 135 while Harry Finch made a half-century as Kent recovered from losing two quick wickets on day two.
The morning began perfectly for Lancashire when James Anderson had both Jack Leaning (4) and Evison – for a 12-ball duck – caught at short mid-wicket by Josh Bohannon inside his opening two overs.
But Compton and Finch steadied the ship, the former reaching his fourth century of the season off 201 balls when he back cut Mitch Stanley to the boundary.
The duo fell in quick succession 40 minutes after lunch. Finch was caught behind off George Balderson for 52 and Compton went in the next over to the spin of Chris Green (2-104). Compton faced 296 balls and hit 15 fours and a six.
Grant Stewart followed five overs later when his skier was caught at mid-off by Bohannon, whose third catch of the day also gave Stanley his maiden first-class wicket as Kent went from 314-5 to 324-8.
Matt Parkinson perished to Luke Wells’ leg spin for 11 but Wes Agar enlivened the play before tea by smashing three big sixes in his 41 before he was caught at long off by Stanley off Bailey.
That wicket ended the Kent innings on 374 with the wickets spread among six bowlers. Balderson was the best and most successful with 3-54 while Anderson took 2-51.
In Lancashire’s reply, Wells and Jennings batted with increasing confidence in the 38-over evening session. Wells reached his fifty before the close and will resume day three on 57 alongside nightwatchman Tom Bailey, who saw off 13 deliveries without troubling the scorers, with Lancashire 254 runs behind.
Compton said: “It’s been a friendly-paced wicket but quite slow off the pitch. We saw Lancashire bowl the right lines and lengths, they were very clear what their plans were and executed them very well.
“It’s just attritional. It’s not a game where there’s going to be something happening all the time and we just have to be really disciplined and try to grind them down, because that’s the way to take wickets on this pitch.
“Credit to Harry Finch because we got a good partnership together after losing a couple of quick wickets. You didn’t feel under huge threat but it was difficult to score quickly.
”I’m trying very hard and I’m just grateful that it’s paying dividends. If I can give the team a good start and expand as the game goes on, that means we will have a good foundation.
“There is a bit of spin on offer now so tomorrow’s a big day for us. We have to be disciplined and I’m looking forward to an attritional grind.”
Report from ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
