KENT HAVE TO SETTLE FOR ANOTHER DRAW

Kent took over at the top of Specsavers County Championship Division 2 after seeing-out a dour draw against Derbyshire on Wednesday afternoon. A lifeless pitch and two injury-hit bowling attacks provided all the ingredients for a high-scoring draw in Canterbury. After Derbyshire’s mammoth first innings total of 574-9 declared had secured a 195-run first innings lead, Kent set out their stall to bat out the final three-and-a-half sessions of the match to secure their sixth draw. They comfortably achieved the stalemate thanks to half-centuries from Tom Latham (74) and Joe Denly (64) and a 47-ball 50 by Sam Northeast. The skipper finished unbeaten on 70 having passed 1,000 runs for the season on the final afternoon before drizzle ended the game prematurely at 4pm with Kent on 238-3, 74 ahead. It was thanks largely to Northeast that Kent’s deficit had not been greater, as he scored a careerbest 191 from 266 balls to guide his side from trouble at 166-6 to a closing total of 379, sharing a club-record stand against Derbyshire of 150 for the seventh wicket with Adam Ball, who made 66, three short of his First Class best. Wayne Madsen (163) and Shiv Thakor (123) reached three figures on a rain-affected third day and put on 144 for the sixth wicket as a Kent attack missing the injured Ivan Thomas, Calum Haggett and Matt Coles, unavailable for disciplinary reasons, toiled. Hamish Rutherford (65) and Chesney Hughes (85) also contributed to the 574-9d total, although James Tredwell took 3-153 from his near 50-over turn and Matt Hunn, Darren Stevens and Mitch Claydon two scalps each. Kent claimed 10 points to move above Essex to the top of the Division 2 table ahead of their four-day trip to Chelmsford starting on Sunday.