Match drawn

KENT’S South African connections just about kept the county’s championship title hopes alive after David Fulton’s side escaped from Lord’s with a draw.

Heavy rain, a brief interruption for lightning and a brave rearguard action by Proteas Andrew Hall and Justin Kemp combined to halt a Middlesex victory charge at Lord’s.

The hosts appeared well on top having reduced Kent to 142 for five in their second innings, the title chasers still requiring a further 24 to make Middlesex bat again.

But, as has often been the case this campaign, Kent’s overseas stars Hall and Kemp answered the call to arms when their fortitude was needed most.

The pair came through a torrid hour with spin from both ends having come together just after the last day lunch interval with their side in deep trouble at 118 for five.

Content to kick away anything turning out of the leg stump rough, both Proteas successfully curbed their attacking instincts to bat through until the rain arrived just after 2pm.

The players returned just before 4pm with 25 overs remaining in the game and though the stand between Hall and Kemp came to an end with the scores level, Hall proved immovable.

He lost his international team-mate for 30 when Kemp played on against Richardson to make it 166 for six, but then teamed up Niall O’Brien to see Kent to safety.

O’Brien went sweeping after a 45-minute stay but the game finished at the end of that over.

Hall nudged and nurdled his way to an unbeaten 37 in two hours before the players shook hands on a draw with Kent on 192 for seven and a slender lead of 26.

Ironically, this could be the last game either Hall or Kemp play for Kent – if South Africa coach Mickey Arthur gets his way that is.

The new Proteas chief has convened a squad training camp next Friday and issued a three-line whip for Hall and Kemp to attend.

Kent and Warwickshire, who stand to lose Makhaya Ntini, are both battling against the re-call on the grounds that all three players are contractually obliged to stay with their county unless selected for international match duty.

Kent chief executive Paul Millman said: "We are fighting this at the very highest levels of administration and there are telephone calls being made across the world this weekend.

"We will continue the dialogue for as long as is necessary and do everything we can to keep our players as, in our view, this is a matter of principle."

Though the rain lasted barely an hour with mopping up time it took an hour and 40 minutes and 21 overs out of the game, which proved crucial to Kent’s fight for survival.

Prior to the arrival of Hall and Kemp at the crease things could not have gone much worse for the visitors on a steamy, overcast London morning after home skipper Ben Hutton had declared on his side’s overnight score of 550 for nine.

Needing 166 to make Middlesex bat again, Kent lost four wickets inside the opening session, three of them to spin.

David Fulton went in Alan Richardson’s new ball burst, squared up by a leg-cutter he edged into the hands of Owais Shah at slip to make it 15 for one.

Peter Trego’s away swingers coupled with the medium-pacers of Melvyn Betts and Richardson proved ineffective thereafter allowing Kent to re-group through Test batsmen Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld.

The pair added an attractive 75 in 21 overs without ever really looking in any trouble.

Key took 10 off one over from Trego, including boundaries to the cover and mid-wicket ropes while van Jaarsveld swivelled imperiously to belt a Trego long-hop into the grandstand seats.

But the introduction of spin at both ends just half an hour from the lunch break set Kent on the slide.

With his score on 26 van Jaarsveld danced down the pitch to Yogesh Golwalkar only to miss the leg-spinner and be stumped by Ben Scott by a couple of yards.

In the next over Matthew Walker played back to an arm-ball to Jamie Dalrymple without scoring and, just three balls from the scheduled lunch break, Golwalkar accounted for Key.

Having just reached his half-century from 82 balls to pass 1,400 runs for the campaign Key aimed a firm clip off his legs against Dalrymple only to see Ed Joyce pull off a stunning reflex catch at short-leg that came off the full face of the bat.

Darren Stevens went soon after the interval, leg before when propping half forward to Golwalker’s top-spinner, bringing together Hall and Kemp for a backs-to-the-wall stand.

Their skipper Fulton said: "It was an impossible situation to work any sort of a result that might be in our favour.

"In fact, Ben Hutton was just trying to get his side into the same position that we were in against them at Canterbury a fortnight ago, when we managed to get 170 runs on and almost bowl them out cheaply on the final day."

SCORECARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton b Trego 16
R W T Key c Shah b Richardson 94
M van Jaarsveld b Trego 0
M J Walker c Scott b Trego 11
D I Stevens st Scott b Golwalkar 43
J M Kemp b Dalrymple 102
A J Hall c Joyce b GolWalkar 16
N J O’Brien c Hutton b Richardson 13
M M Patel c Dalrymple b Golwalkar 0
S J Cook lbw b Richardson 0
A Khan not out 58
Extras 31

Total 384 all out after 103 overs.

Fall of wicket: 1-50, 2-56, 3-80, 4-172, 5-182, 6-198, 7-245, 8-248, 9-249.

Bowling: Richardson 27-4-90-3, Betts 20-2-74-0, Trego 20-1-88-3, Golwalkar 31-7-112-3, Dalrymple 5-0-15-0.

Middlesex first innings

E T Smith b Khan 14
B L Hutton c O’Brien b Hall 152
O A Shah lbw b Patel 128
J W M Dalrymple lbw b Stevens 76
E C Joyce c Key b Stevens 68
P N Weekes not out 26
P D Trego lbw b Walker 28
B J M Scott b Kemb 4
M M Betts c O’Brien b Kemp 4
Y A Golwalkar c O’Brien b Kemp 3
A Richardson not out 8
Extras 39

Total 550 for nine declared after 169 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-27, 2-306, 3-351, 4-475, 5-475, 6-512, 7-525, 8-529, 9-533.

Bowling: Khan 24-3-106-1, Cook 19-2-59-0, Kemp 21-2-53-3, Hall 25-2-92-1, Stevens 19-3-62-2, Patel 47-10-110-1, Walker 13-0-42-1, van Jaarsveld 1-0-1-0.

Kent second innings

D P Fulton c Shah b Richardson 9
R W T Key c Joyce b Dalrymple 52
M van Jaarsveld st Scott b Golwalkar 26
M J Walker lbw b Dalrymple 0
D I Stevens lbw b Golwalkar 15
J M Kemp b Richardson 30
A J Hall not out 37
N J O’Brien c Weekes b Golwalkar 9
M M Patel not out 0
Extras 9

Total 192 for seven after 72.4 overs.

Fall of wicket: 1-15, 2-90, 3-93, 4-104, 5-118, 6-166, 7-192

Bowling: Richardson 16-6-38-2, Trego 6-1-27-0, Betts 5-1-16-0, Hutton 4-0-13-0. Golwalkar 25.4-12-41-3, Dalrymple 16-1-50-2.

Match drawn: Middlesex 12pts, Kent 9pts.