Kent v Durham

A Dale Benkenstein hundred was the highlight of a day's 'cat and mouse' cricket between Kent and championship-chasing Durham at the St Lawrence ground in Canterbury.

Benkenstein looked the class act from both sides as far as batting was concerned on a sluggish pitch and it was his superb 117 including 13 fours and a six that virtually separated the sides going into the third day of four.

Durham batted well into the second afternoon in reaching 321 all out, a first innings lead of 109, and then set about reducing Kent to 99 for three by the time bad light stopped play after 29 overs.

Off-spinner Paul Wiseman took the wickets to fall having Kent skipper Rob Key (30) caught behind off a flurry of pad and gloves and then his opening partner Joe Denly (30) leg before to one that kept low.

Kent's No3 Martin van Jaarsveld reached 14 not out by stumps to pass 1,000 first-class runs for the summer, but Matt Walker (10) became the host's third casualty when he edged a cut shot to Di Venuto at slip.

Throughout the morning Durham batted doggedly, as the championship depended on it, as they resumed on their overnight score of 126 for four.

Phil Mustard, the man called up by England to replace injured keeper Matt Prior on this winter's tour of Sri Lanka, was their first casualty of the day for a determined 22.

Aiming to push drive a Ryan McLaren leg-cutter, Mustard edged to his Kent counterpart Geraint Jones to make it 156 for five and put an end to a fifth-wicket stand worth 64 in 20 overs with Benkenstein.

The Rhodesia right-hander carried on undaunted through to the break, he broke out into a flurry of attacking shots at one stage, hitting Tredwell for a four and six into the Nackington Road, but otherwise it remained a low-risk batting strategy for the visitors.

At the other end, Ottis Gibson reined in his naturally aggressive batting style to lend valuable support with 40, but he ran out of patience just before lunch when, in leaning back to cut, he was bowled by a turning ball from Tredwell to break a partnership that added 86 in 24 overs.

Liam Plunkett got off the mark with a straight six of Tredwell but, in the next over, he went half forward to a Martin Saggers in-ducker to go leg before without addition.

They extended their advantage after the break until Saggers, with four for 89, and McLaren three for 86, returned to polish off the innings.

Scorecard

Kent first innings

R W T Key c Di Venuto bv Gibson 3
J L Denly b Onions 4
M van Jaarsveld c Di Venuto b Davies 25
M J Walker c Di Venuto b Davies 7
N J Dexter c Di Venuto b Gibson 28
S A Northeast c Benkenstein b Gibson 5
G O Jones b Onions 32
J C Tredwell lbw b Plunkett 18
R McLaren not out 54
S J Cook c Mustard b Onions 3
M J Saggers b Davies 16

Extras 17

Total 212 all out in 50.5 overs.

Fall of wicket: 1-7, 2-9, 3-27, 4-46, 5-57, 6-84, 7-122, 8-136, 9-147.

Bowling: Gibson 13-1-16-3, Onions 15-2-49-3, Davies 11.5-4-43-3, Plunkett 11-2-52-1.

Durham first innings

M J Di Venuto c Jones b McLaren 32
M D Stoneman lbw b Saggers 0
K J Coetzer c Dexter b Tredwell 44
S Chanderpaul c van Jaarsveld b Tredwell 4
D M Benkenstein c Tredwell b Saggers 117
P Mustard c Jones b McLaren 22
O D Gibson b Tredwell 40
L E Plunkett lbw b Saggers 6
P J Wiseman lbw b Saggers 36
M Davies not out 0
G Onions c Walker b McLaren 3
Extras 17

Total 321 all out

Fall of wicket: 1-3, 2-86, 3-86, 4-92, 5-156, 6-242, 7-251, 8-317, 9-318.

Bowling: Saggers 28-2-89-4, McLaren 19-2-86-3, Cook 13-4-39-0, Tredwell 26-4-96-3, Denly 2-1-2-0.

Kent second innings

J L Denly lbw b Wiseman 30
R W T Key c Mustard b Wiseman 33
M van Jaarsveld not out 14
M J Walker c Di Venuto b Wiseman 10
N J Dexter not out 3
Extras 9

Total 99 for three after 29 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-67, 2-68, 3-80.

Bowling: Onions 5-1-18-0, Gibson 10-2-29-0, Davies 2-0-12-0, Plunkett 4.3-0-12-0, P J Wiseman 8-2-26-3.

Bonus points: Kent 4pts, Durham 6pts.