Lancashire 1st innings 293-3 – trail by 34 runs

ACTING captain Min Patel may play no further part in the game as Kent continue to struggle in their four-day clash with Lancashire in Manchester.

Shorn of Patel, who has a groin strain and the injured Amjad Khan (hamstring), Martin Saggers (heel) and David Stiff knee, Kent’s weakened attack did well to take three Lancashire wickets within 49 overs of the reply - But thereafter it was a case of damage limitation.

With no real threat from Kent’s patched up attack Lancashire’s fourth wicket pairing of Mark Chilton and Paul Horton set out their stall to bat throughout a sunny afternoon.

By the close, Chilton had posted 118 in five-and-a-half hour for his first century of the summer with 11 fours and a six, while Australian-born Horton reached a somewhat forgettable 69 as the hosts moved to within 34 runs of parity.

To his credit, Kent’s stand-in acting captain Martin van Jaarsveld shuffled the bowlers best he could while the team as a whole continued to battle away.

Neil Dexter did a fine containing role with his military medium seamers, his six overs through to lunch costing only eight runs, yet he rarely looked like taking a wicket.

The three victims Kent did prize out were shared around, with Simon Cook making the first breakthrough by having Iain Sutcliffe caught behind in the sixth over of the reply.

Mal Loye seemed hell bent on hitting James Tredwell out of the attack, taking two fours from the off-spinner’s first over, he moved swiftly to 44 before being undone by Robbie Joseph.

Having sent down a series of in-duckers, Joseph got one to hold its line just outside off stump drawing Loye into a push drive that he edged low to Justin Kemp’s left at first slip.

Stuart Law also looked dangerous and set for a three-figure score in coasting to 39 before he went to Kemp. Driving hard at a leg-cutter the ball flew to Jones at regulation height, but the ball parried off the keeper’s right glove and thankfully into the hands of van Jaarsveld at slip.

Chilton and Horton cashed in thereafter as Kent’s bowlers, the ball and indeed, the pitch, began to wane.

Tredwell, who struggled for length early on, settled later without really turning the ball threateningly, while Joseph, after good early bursts, clearly tired conceding 16 in two mid-afternoon overs.

Earlier, all-rounder Kemp saw Kent to their third batting bonus point in reaching a 78-ball half-century and was unbeaten on 54 when last man Robbie Joseph ran himself out attempting to run three.

Kent lost their last three wickets in 48 minutes having started the day with Patel batting with a runner.

Hobbling virtually on one leg, Patel holed out for eight off Sajid Mahmood then Cook went leg before when pushing half-forward to the same bowler as Kent succumbed for 327.

Mahmood took his tally to a flattering three for 71 while Gary Keedy failed to add to his overnight tally of four for 71.

With such an injury ravaged attack, their first innings runs all but wiped out and little sign of assistance from the pitch, Kent will do well not to concede a huge deficit come day three of this match.

SCORECARD

Kent won toss and elected to bat

Kent first innings

D P Fulton st Sutton b Keedy 40
N J Dexter c Chapple b Keedy 34
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Mahmood 87
M J Walker c Law b Keedy 41
D I Stevens lbw b Keedy 10
G I Jones c Horton b Hogg 29
J M Kemp not out 54
J C Tredwell c Chilton b Hogg 2
M M Patel c Hogg b Mahmood 8
S J Cook lbw b Mahmood 6
R H Joseph run out (Horton) 4

Extras 12

Total 327 all out after 114.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-69, 2-97, 3-187, 4-199, 5-237, 6-252, 7-258, 8-290, 9-305

Bowling: Mahmood 24.3-4-71-3, Chapple 26-6-59-0, Smith 20-5-59-0, Hogg 17-5-59-0, Keedy 28-5-71-4.

Lancashire first innings

M J Chilton not out 118
I J Sutcliffe c Jones b Cook 5
M B Loye c Kemp b Joseph 44
S G Law c van Jaarsveld b Kemp 39
P J Horton not out 69

Extras 19

Total 293 for three after 93 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-8, 2-94, 3-154

Bowling: Joseph 16-2-57-1, Cook 15-3-49-1, Tredwell 26-3-99-0, Kemp 17-3-47-1, Walker 1-1-0-0, Dexter 17-3-32-0.

Bonus points: Lancashire 5pts, Kent 4pts.