Half-centuries from Tawanda Muyeye, Chris Benjamin and Ben Dawkins boosted Kent’s battle for first-innings supremacy against Gloucestershire on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division 2 match in Bristol on Saturday.
Muyeye top scored with 90 off 141 balls while Benjamin contributed 74 not out and Dawkins a career-best 65 as the visitors ran up 308-8 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 325.
Seamer Will Williams was the pick of the bowling attack with 4-40 from 21 overs and claimed a stunning run-out.
Kent were 245-8, trailing by 80 runs, at one point. But Benjamin and Keith Dudgeon (30 not out) put together an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 63 in the closing overs to frustrate the hosts.
Muyeye said: “It’s a tricky pitch to bat on and it’s still offering a fair bit for the bowlers.
“It’s not turning much, which is probably an advantage for us, because they are playing two spinners and we have five seamers.
“I feel like I have been unlucky over the past couple of weeks. Today, I backed my defence and tried to be positive if the bowlers missed their line or length.
“The partnership between Chris Benjamin and Keith Dudgeon at the end was very important for us. Chris is a fighter and we have seen this type of innings from him before.
“Keith has also been great for us all season and both show great intent with the bat, which we can all learn from.”
Kent set out 1-0 when play began in hazy sunshine. With no addition to the score in 2.5 overs, Zak Crawley aimed to play a delivery from Gabe Bell (1-65) off the back foot and only succeeded in getting an inside edge onto his stumps.
Mikey Cohen was dropped on 12 by Ollie Price at first slip from Matt Taylor (0-65), but had added only six when another edge off a full delivery from Williams saw him safely pouched by Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft at second slip.
Williams then produced the best ball of the morning, nipping back off the seam to bowl Sam Northeast between bat and pad and Kent were in trouble at 39-3.
But Dawkins was soon into his stride, taking two boundaries off Ben Charlesworth’s first over (2-43), while the brief introduction of leg-spinner Ed Middleton (0-31) saw him concede 10 off an over, with Muyeye capitalising on the opening two deliveries, both dropped short, to pull successive fours.
By lunch, the pair had taken the total to 99-3, with Dawkins unbeaten on 45 and Muyeye on 31.
The afternoon session saw Dawkins go to his half-century off 99 balls, with nine fours, while Muyeye required 88 deliveries to reach 50, having struck eight boundaries. On 59, Dawkins was given a life when Price dropped his second catch of the day, low at first slip off Matt Taylor.
That enabled the 19-year-old to go past his previous best first-class score of 61 – made against Derbyshire at Canterbury last season – as he and Muyeye brought up a century stand off 190 balls.
Dawkins departed soon after, bowled by Williams playing forward defensively. The former Lancashire seamer struck for a fourth time when Price redeemed himself by accepting a third chance to send back Daniel Bell-Drummond for three.
Muyeye and Benjamin then put together a stand of 55 before, on the stroke of tea, Muyeye got a thick edge pushing forward to Charlesworth and wicketkeeper James Bracey took a straightforward catch.
Muyeye had hit 14 fours and rarely looked in much difficulty.
Tea was taken at the fall of his wicket with Kent 206-6, still 119 runs behind and Williams having returned 4-24 from 16 overs.
As if that were not enough, Williams produced a startling piece of fielding early in the final session to claim Kent’s seventh wicket.
Ekansh Singh, who had just lofted Graeme van Buuren (0-56) over long-on for six, slashed the left-arm spinner to deep cover only to be run out attempting a second as Williams scored a direct hit with only one stump to aim at.
Benjamin was holding the Kent innings together and moved to a chanceless 50 off 86 balls, with six fours. He lost another partner when Joey Evison was caught behind looking to pull a short ball from Charlesworth.
The second new ball was taken after 80 overs at 245-8 but made no impression, as Benjamin and Dudgeon batted with calm assurance until stumps.
Report via ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
