Bad light ends Yorkshire bid for a victory
YORKSHIRE were denied the opportunity to chase 114 in the final 21 overs of a pulsating final day by bad light as Kent secured an LV= Insurance County Championship draw at Headingley.
Umpires Graham Lloyd and Steve O’Shaughnessy halted play before the Yorkshire chase could start, following impressive innings from Kent trio Ben Compton (93), Grant Stewart (90) and Ollie Robinson (85 not out).
Kent looked to be in safe waters at 384 for six in their second innings, a lead of 104 and time running out.
But Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson inspired a burst of four wickets for nine runs in 24 balls. He claimed three of them to finish with five for 54, only for the 38-year-old’s return to go unrewarded.
Credit should go to Kent, though, as they avoided a third defeat in four games and denied their hosts a second win in three to start 2022.
Opener Compton and wicketkeeper Robinson played similarly doughty innings, while all-rounder Stewart was far more aggressive as he struggled with a hamstring injury and required a runner.
Kent started the day on 118 for two, trailing by 162. Compton is now the top division’s leading run-scorer with 560 but fell before lunch to leave the score at 182 for five.
Stewart and Robinson then shared 166 for the seventh wicket, a Kent record in matches versus Yorkshire, either side of tea having come together at 218 for six, a deficit of 62 with 56 overs still to bowl.
The pair dug in initially before Stewart opened his shoulders, with his 58-ball 50 coming almost twice as quickly as his partner’s.
Kent reached tea at 312 for six, leading by 32 with 35 overs remaining in the game.
And they all but doubled the lead in the first two overs of the evening, including Stewart hitting two sixes to take the lion’s share of 20 off a Jordan Thompson over.
More runs were to follow with Stewart’s 91-ball innings featuring four sixes, all either slog-swept or pulled.
But he was run out clipping to mid-on before Patterson trapped Matt Milnes lbw and had Nathan
Gilchrist and Matt Quinn caught at mid-off to raise home hopes of a first 24-point haul since the final game of 2018.
Instead, they had to settle for 16 to Kent’s
11.