Keith Dudgeon took six wickets before Chris Benjamin hit an unbeaten ton as Kent dominated day two of their Rothesay County Championship match at Lancashire.
Dudgeon returned a season’s best 6-21 as Lancashire were skittled out for just 87 in the first session – a first-innings advantage of 91.
Harry Finch then made 83 and Benjamin closed on 101 not out as Kent reached 320-8 at the close, a lead of 411.
Dudgeon said: “I think we bowled really well in partnerships. We tried to keep it simple – hit the top of off stump – but the pitch helped us because it was still a little bit tacky after the morning rain.
“Matt Milnes could have taken six wickets today. He bowled beautifully in a nine-over spell from the top end. And then Hasan showed he’s world class. He put real energy on the bowl and he got the rewards he deserved.
“I think that was one of the best batting performances I’ve seen on a wicket that was giving the bowlers help. Harry knuckled down against a very good attack and Chris Benjamin’s striking was great to watch. I couldn’t get it off the square, and he was hitting it over the wall.
In an extraordinary first session, nine wickets fell for 82 runs in 27 overs. Eight of those wickets belonged to Lancashire batsmen as they collapsed from 17-2 overnight to 87 all out at Blackpool.
Dudgeon struck the first blow when he bowled Josh Bohannon for eight with a fine ball that seamed away. Matt Milnes then castled nightwatchman Tom Bailey for three before Hasan Mahmud made an immediate impression on his Kent debut.
The Bangladesh seamer had Marcus Harris caught at slip by Sam Northeast for three with his seventh delivery in first-class English cricket and produced a superb delivery 20 minutes later to have Liam Livingstone caught behind for eight.
Dudgeon returned to the North End and bagged three of the last four wickets, bowling top-scorer Ben McDermott off the inside edge for 23 before Mahmud (3-32) had Joe Moores caught at slip by Ben Dawkins for eight on his Lancashire first-class debut.
Dudgeon dismissed George Balderson for four and James Anderson for two in the same over but that left just enough time before lunch for Anderson to have Ben Dawkins caught at slip by Harry Singh off the first ball of Kent’s second innings.
Kent’s batsmen built on their superiority in impressive fashion during the afternoon session. Northeast helped Finch put on 55 for the second wicket before he was caught at slip by Singh off Balderson for 23 but the visitors were 143-2 at tea and the lead had reached an already formidable 234.
Lancashire took six wickets in the 40-over evening session but could not prevent Kent ending the day with a colossal lead. Bell-Drummond fell to the second ball after tea, caught behind by Moores down the leg side off Balderson, for 34 and Ekansh Singh was bowled by Livingstone for 14.
After batting for 190 minutes and hitting 12 fours and a six, Finch was dismissed for 83 when he nicked a good ball from Balderson to Moores.
Bertie Foreman was lbw to Tom Aspinwall for 11 before Dudgeon was dismissed by Anderson for 16 after putting on 76 for the seventh wicket with the motoring Benjamin.
Balderson took his third wicket when he had Milnes caught on the boundary for eight.
Benjamin hit Livingstone out of the ground for six and repeated the feat to Aspinwall. He looked in sublime form and reached his second century of the summer in just 76 balls with six fours and five sixes in the penultimate over of the day.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay
