Match drawn

KENT old-boy Peter Trego returned to St Lawrence to deny his former side their seventh championship win of the summer and possibly their most famous win of the campaign.

Trego, who played eight games for Kent in 2003, came to the crease with his side deep in trouble on 77 for six and needing 150 to make Kent bat again in this rain-ruined game, but duly batted an hour and a half in tandem with Paul Weekes to stave off the hosts tilt at victory.

With a worn pitch offering assistance to seam and spin bowlers alike, Kent made a stunning start to their spell in the field when Amjad Khan pegged back Ed Smith’s off stump in the third over of the reply.

Min Patel then enjoyed an 18-ball purple patch of three for eight in which he trapped Ben Hutton leg before then bowled Owais Shah around his legs for his 50th championship scalp of the summer.

He prized out Jamie Dalrymple and Ed Joyce after tea, then Andrew Hall replaced Khan to send back David Nash for a first ball duck to a low catch at second slip by van Jaarsveld.

With only 13 of the 52 overs gone, the visitors looked deep in trouble but Trego and Weekes dig in to bat the next 27 overs in adding just 37.

Patel bowled with seven men around the bat at times, but both Middlesex players held their nerve.

Ironically it was part-timer Martin van Jaarsveld who finally broke the stand trapping Weekes leg before for 51, but by then the game was as good as saved.

Earlier Kent posted a record 549 for six declared beating their previous best against Middlesex of 529 for nine declared at Lord’s in 1928.

Friday’s centuries by David Fulton and Rob Key were followed by another punishing ton from Darren Stevens who reached three figures for the fourth time this summer from 93 balls and with 12 fours and two sixes.

The former Leicestershire right-hander notched Kent’s 18th century of the campaign and featured in contrasting stands of 102 in 21 overs with van Jaarsveld (50) and then, as Kent attempted to make up for lost time, a stunning stand of 98 in 11 overs with Justin Kemp.

Stevens finally went when trying to make room to cut Nantie Hayward but Kemp, dropped on five and 30, blazed away to club 57 from 44 balls before holing out just short of the declaration.

Kent bagged two wickets before tea, then four more soon after, but ultimately they were unable to dislodge Trego.

SCORECARD

Middlesex first innings

E T Smith b Khan 40
B L Hutton b Khan 10
O A Shah c O’Brien b Patel 105
E C Joyce c Key b Khan 12
J W M Dalrymple lbw b Hall 4
P N Weekes not out 128
D C Nash lbw b Khan 12
P D Trego c Fulton b Patel 51
A Richardson c Kemp b Patel 5
S R Clark not out 4
N Hayward did not bat
Extras 29

Total 400 for eight declared after 109 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-31, 2-92, 3-120, 4-136, 5-274, 6-314, 7-385, 8-391,

Bowling: Khan 20-6-83-4, Cook 18-4-60-0, Hall 22-3-98-1, Kemp 12-1-32-0, Patel 27-6-90-3, Stevens 10-0-27-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Joyce b Clark 110
R W T Key run out (Hutton) 142
M van Jaarsveld b Richardson 50
M J Walker c Hutton b Clark 12
D I Stevens b Hayward 106
J Kemp c Smith b Clark 57
A J Hall not out 27
N J O’Brien not out 1
Extras 44

Total 549 for six declared 117 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-283, 2-290, 3-306, 4-408, 5-506, 6-540

Bowling: Clark 26-5-79-3, Richardson 27-4-95-1, Trego 15-1-82-0, Hayward 20-0-117-1, Dalrymple 22-0-115-0, Weekes 5-1-15-0, Hutton 2-0-16-0.

Middlesex second innings

E T Smith b Khan 2
B L Hutton lbw b Patel 5
O A Shah b Patel 13
E C Joyce st O’Brien b Patel 27
J W M Dalrymple c Stevens b Patel 0
P N Weekes lbw b van Jaarsveld 51
D C Nash c van Jaarsveld b Hall 0
P D Trego not out 3
S R Clark not out 0
Extras 13

Total 114 for seven after 51.4 overs.

Fall of wicket: 1-6, 2-14, 3-51, 4-55, 5-76, 6-77, 7-114.

Bowling: Khan 6-0-27-1, Cook 6-1-13-0, Patel 22.4-8-34-4, Stevens 3-2-1-0, Hall 8-2-21-1, van Jaarsveld 6-3-7-1.

Match drawn. Kent 11 points, Middlesex 11 points.