Prolonged Kent resistance eventually counted for little as Yorkshire secured a 172-run Specsavers County Championship Division 1 win at Canterbury.

Facing an improbable victory target of 384 and, after their brave rearguard action at the start of the day, the hosts did superbly well to take the match into its final session before visiting seamer Ben Coad mopped up the tail with a season’s best 6-52.

The fourth day started with a defiant fourth-wicket stand between Daniel Bell-Drummond and Fred Klaassen which frustrated the Yorkshire attack throughout the opening session in adding 54 runs inside 34 overs either side of lunch.

Yorkshire finally broke through soon after the resumption when Klassen, the 26-year-old night watchman making his championship debut, was caught at slip off Duanne Olivier to end his two-and-a-half hour, 110-ball stay for 13.

Hampered by the loss of Tim Bresnan to a calf injury – the former England seamer slipped over when delivering his first ball of day and limped off after completing only two overs –Yorkshire’s attack continued to chip away to pick up three more wickets in the mid-session.

Interim Kent captain Heino Kuhn was also caught at slip for a seven-ball duck while Bell-Drummond, who moved past 5,000 First-Class career runs during his 170-minute stay fell lbw to Steven Patterson for 41.

Then, after being checked out for concussion following a blow on the helmet from an Olivier bouncer, Kent’s first innings century-maker Ollie Robinson (35) was caught at cover off Coad to make it 142-7.

Alex Blake (22) and Harry Podmore (29) resisted for 22 overs either side of tea until the introduction of off-spinner Jack Leaning accounted for Blake, leg before.

Moments later, Coad bowled Podmore middle stump and, in his next over he had last man Mitch Claydon caught at short leg as Kent were dismissed for 211 with 15.1 overs to spare.

The contest had turned in Yorkshire's favour on the penultimate day after a season’s best 159 in six-and-a-half hours from former England batsman Gary Ballance.

The 29-year-old left-hander hit 25 boundaries from 291 balls as Yorkshire amassed 469 after being 86 runs behind on first innings.

He and Jack Leaning (69) added 188 for the fourth wicket with good contributions down the order from Coad (35) and Dominic Bess (34).

Claydon took 3-88 including a double wicket maiden, while Bell-Drummond took 2-35, Podmore 2-89 and Milnes 2-107.

Yorkshire had been dismissed inside 57 overs for 210 on the opening day, with not one batsman getting to 30.

Milnes led the way with 3-63 and was well backed up by opening partner Podmore (2-33).

Kent – 130-4 overnight after the opening day – made 296 in their first innings, opener Zak Crawley (81) being the mainstay early on before a sixth-wicket stand of 104 between Robinson and Alex Blake (34).

Tom Kohler-Cadmore held six out-field catches – equalling the Yorkshire record set by Ellis Robinson against Leicestershire at Bradford in 1938.

Wicketkeeper Robinson, 20, went onto make 103 (181 balls, 11 fours) – his second championship century in as many matches.

Coad claimed 3-66, Olivier 3-88 and Bresnan 2-47.

Yorkshire took 20 points, and Kent five, leaving them fifth in the table after three matches.

• Kuhn on captaincy

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