Big win earns maximum points
Kent secured a comprehensive 10-wicket win over Glamorgan at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, on Wednesday afternoon.
The victory yielded the maximum 24 points, took them third in Specsavers County Championship Division 2 and was Kent’s first win at Canterbury since beating Derbyshire by 10 wickets in June 2014.
The tone was set on the opening day on Sunday with Matt Coles removing James Kettleborough with just the fourth ball of the match without a run on the board.
The catch was taken by Adam Rouse – the first of eight in the match for the keeper – and with Mitch Claydon and debutant teenage seamer Hugh Bernard also impressing, the visitors were pegged back to 44-3 and then 103-5 before rallying to reach 260 thanks in large part to Craig Meschede’s 63. Claydon finished with 4-59, while Coles collected 3-26.
In reply, the new-look opening partnership of Daniel-BellDrummond and New Zealand international Tom Latham soon found their groove and put on 131 before Latham fell for 53 early on day two.
Bell-Drummond continued his fine form to reach 84 and Joe Denly (58) and Sam Northeast (46) helped guide Kent to a firstinnings lead with five wickets in hand.
Darren Stevens made 58 and there were useful contributions from Rouse (22), Coles (29), Bernard (14) and Adam Riley (32 not out). It was Claydon who stole the show with 55 from 54 balls, featuring eight fours and a six, as Kent reached 488 all out and added maximum batting points to their maximum bowling points.
It was the first time in 17 years that Kent had five halfcenturions but nobody in three figures.
When Glamorgan’s second innings began, skipper Jacques Rudolph followed his first innings four with a duck, despite facing 63 balls in the match, as Kent again struck early through Stevens.
Will Bragg passed 50 as the visitors recovered to reach 156-5 but they were still facing the possibility of an innings defeat until a record 215-run sixth-wicket stand between David Lloyd (107) and Graham Wagg (106) ensured Kent would bat again.
The pair eventually departed in quick succession thanks to Claydon (2-127) and Stevens, the pick of the attack with 4-79 off 27 overs.
Despite a foot problem limiting his workload, Coles (3-80) received the all-clear after a scan and returned to end the innings on 414, leaving Kent a day and six overs to chase 187.
Bell-Drummond and Latham returned to put on another century stand – the first time Kent openers have done so in both innings since Arthur Phebey and Arthur Fagg recorded 107 and 132 against Gloucestershire at Gloucester in 1954.
It was only the third time in Championship history that Kent have posted two separate firstwicket century stands.
They eventually breezed to their target with nearly two sessions to spare with BellDrummond finishing on 86 and Latham 79. JM Kettleborough c Rouse b Coles ......0 JA Rudolph c Rouse b Claydon ............4 WD Bragg b Claydon .........................14 CB Cooke c Rouse b Coles ................45 AHT Donald c Dickson b Bernard ......37 DL Lloyd lbw b Coles ..........................4 GG Wagg c Dickson b Stevens ..........40 AG Salter c Rouse b Claydon .............25 HW Podmore lbw b Claydon ................4 MG Hogan not out ...............................0 Extras (b6, lb1, w1, nb16) .................24 Fall: 1-0, 2-22, 3-44, 4-91, 5-103, 6-124, 7-194, 8-242, 9-260. Bowling: MT Coles 9.5-3-26-3, DI Stevens 22-6-68-1, ME Claydon 16-459-4, HR Bernard 13-1-68-2, AEN Riley 4-1-32-0. DJ Bell-Drummond c Cooke b Meschede..84 TWM Latham c Donald b Hogan ........53 JL Denly b Hogan..............................58 SA Northeast b Meschede .................46 SR Dickson c Kettleborough b Hogan ..3 DI Stevens c Salter b Meschede ........58 AP Rouse c Donald b Podmore ..........22 MT Coles b Hogan.............................29 ME Claydon c Lloyd b Wagg ..............55 AEN Riley not out ..............................32 HR Bernard c Cooke b Podmore ........14 Extras (b8, lb8, w8, nb10) .................34 Fall: 1-131, 2-165, 3-246, 4-254, 5-260, 6-338, 7-356, 8-402, 9-457. Bowling: MG Hogan 29-6-91-4, CAJ Meschede 23-4-105-3, GG Wagg 22-4-95-1, HW Podmore 13.2-073-2, AG Salter 16-0-67-0, DL Loyd 8-1-41-0.