Kentish Express Ashford & District
Dickson leads defiance in draw
Sean Dickson followed up his first innings score of 128 with an impressive 91 to lead Kent to a Specsavers County Championship draw with reigning champions Surrey.
The 27-year-old was assisted by fellow South Africans Heino Kuhn (81) and debutant Wiaan Mulder (68 not out) in starring with the bat, much to the frustration of Surrey’s attack.
Dickson clocked up almost 10 hours at the crease during last week’s game to help Kent bat out the fourth and final day to finish on 352-8.
New overseas signing Mulder said: “It was a good day for us, especially being one wicket down overnight, we came here needing to defend all day to try and not get bowled out.
“I’m really proud of the guys and to get a draw in these circumstances is good for morale and hopefully we can take that into our next game.
“It was a difficult afternoon and a good challenge but they were always going to come hard at us. If you crumble under that pressure you expose the tail-enders, so I just wanted to stay there and do it for the team. It doesn’t matter how many runs I score, me being out there gave us a fighting chance to get over the line.
“The South African contingent did really well with the bat overall. Sean played really well in both innings and Heino got some useful runs too. I’m really proud of the guys.”
The hosts started the day requiring an improbable 426 for victory, but night watchman Adam Riley set the tone by batting on for 35 minutes before being scuppered by a Sam Curran yorker.
Kent No.4 Daniel Bell-Drummond then appeared fortunate to survive appeals for caught behind and leg before from consecutive Rikki Clarke deliveries.
The bowler’s protests led to a reprimand from umpires Graham Lloyd and Alex Wharf, but Clarke soon did have BellDrummond trapped leg before, for seven.
Morne Morkel, Clarke and Conor McKerr combined superbly for Surrey to fully test the resolve of Dickson and his interim skipper, Kuhn, only for the pair to dig in and add a crucial 82 in 28 overs.
Dickson’s 178-ball stay for 91 ended in near identical fashion to his first innings when he glanced to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
Ollie Robinson came in to join Kuhn, who battled to a 106-ball 50 with three fours, as Kent reached tea on 233-4.
The former was dismissed four balls after the restart, chipping Morkel’s delivery to square leg to leave on 34 and end a fifthwicket stand of 70.
Kuhn’s time at the crease eventually came to a halt when he was adjudged to have been caught behind off the bowling of Morkel, leaving the field on 81.
Mulder, making his Beckenham bow, experienced a scare on 27 when he nicked to first slip Dean Elgar, before being grateful to see umpire Graham Lloyd call a no ball.
Surrey could celebrate soon after though when Alex Blake, propping forward to the slow left-armer Elgar, offered a simple batpad catch to short leg.
Twenty-one-year-old Mulder posted an impressive 50 from 71 balls with seven fours as he and Darren Stevens propelled Kent to within 25 balls of safety.
After Stevens was caught behind for eight, Mulder and Harry Podmore saw out the final four overs to clinch a draw and conclude an excellent four days’ cricket.
Having elected to bat first, Surrey amassed 420-9 by the end of their first innings thanks to huge knocks from Will Jacks (120), Scott Borthwick (95) and Clarke (88).
This had marked a magnificent response to a sluggish start that had seen Surrey slip to 65-5 at one point, with Kent’s Mulder working his way towards 4-118.
Kent hit back via Dickson (128) and Crawley, with the opening duo notching 128 between them before the latter’s dismissal for 63.
Bell-Drummond built on a positive start to his side’s reply with 37, before Kuhn added a further 15 as Kent surpassed 200.
Ducks for Robinson and Stevens were followed by a lacklustre tail end showing, however Dickson was at hand to help his side avoid the follow on with his ninth firstclass ton as Kent were bowled out for 294.
Curran (80), Borthwick (58) and Foakes (44) then extended their side’s lead, with Surrey 280 all out in their second innings.