Early Kent wickets left their County Championship Division 2 match against Glamorgan in the balance ahead of a defining final day in Cardiff.
Harry Finch’s 68 and Grant Stewart’s counter-attacking 63 dragged Kent back into the contest after a first-innings collapse had hindered their chances. Partnerships of 84 and 68 runs for the fifth and sixth wicket, respectively, took the visitors to 360 all out – without full use of the injured Joe Denly – to enforce a nervous task of chasing 189.
Away bowlers were in high spirits in an aggressive spell of 14 overs, continuing day three in the driving seat to leave the home team 25-2, needing another 164 on day four. Chris Cooke and Timm van der Gugten’s batting capabilities remain uncertain after both were off the field for the entire day.
“We set out to bat for most of the day,” said Italian international Stewart.
“Benji (Chris Benjamin) gritted it out and there were a lot of good partnerships with Joey (Evison) and Finchy so we managed to accomplish what we set out to do and find ourselves in a pretty decent position.
“Everyone’s found it hard to start. Then, it’s, potentially, a bit easier as you get going.
“But I was the beneficiary of some really hard work by the top order.”
From 106-1 overnight and beginning a fightback to the Glamorgan first-innings dominance, Ben Compton and Benjamin started conservatively.
Trying to be cute with a paddle-sweep by way of releasing the shackles from 10 runs off 43 balls in the first hour, Compton fell, gifting a wicket to the otherwise forceless Glamorgan.
Compton falling short of a half-century – and his 1,000-run season milestone – foreshadowed the rest of Kent’s top order.
Captain Daniel Bell-Drummond found a start in similar fashion to the morning tempo before he fell, resenting the umpire’s decision of caught behind when he attempted to hook a bouncer that ballooned to substitute wicketkeeper Alex Horton. Evison then dismissed a Ben Kellaway (2-83) loosener to give Kent the lead at 175-3 second time around.
The theme of Kent losing their wickets rather than Glamorgan taking the wickets by force continued.
Benjamin dragged on a wide half-volley before Evison chipped a standard Zain Ul Hassan (1-21) delivery of medium-pace to short-cover – becoming the third batsman in the 40s to fall.
Glamorgan’s usual fifth seamer stepped up as the pick of the bowlers in van der Gugten’s absence while Kiran Carlson claimed 3-24 after his introduction in the 105th over.
After a much-needed stand by Evison and Finch before the all-rounder’s untimely dismissal on 49, Finch, together with Stewart, kept the momentum going against the unforgiving Kookaburra ball, with stand-in captain Carlson having numerous exchanges about changing the ball throughout the day.
The pair’s half-centuries, making the most of the life given to Stewart on one where he was dropped at slip by Carlson off Kellaway, gave the visitors a fighting chance until further soft dismissals brought a premature end to their second innings.
Matt Parkinson and Quinn both recorded pairs to succeed Stewart, bringing up a half-century with three consecutive sixes off Carlson, who had proved Glamorgan’s golden arm.
It always looked likely to be a torrid time for Glamorgan to bat and so it proved, with a ferocious spell from Australian Wes Agar (1-9), who had Asa Tribe caught at short-leg by substitute fielder Will Harby for four.
Spinner Parkinson’s second ball (1-4) had Ul Hassan lbw for 10 before Carlson and night-watchman James Harris hung on to leave an absorbing game still up for grabs, going into the final day.
Stewart said: “Big Wes has been awesome, with good pace and a bit of uneven bounce, so he’s going to be a nightmare and we’re happy with the position we’re in.
“We’re really looking to get another win because it’s been a little while.”
