Yorkshire v Kent day three

A first championship hundred of the summer by Neil Dexter and half-centuries from Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld helped Kent reach 278-5 after Friday’s third day of four in Scarborough to take a slender overall mach lead of 43 runs.

Dexter was finally out for 105, six overs from the close to spark a mini-collapse in which Kent lost three wickets for six runs in 14 balls; all of them to former Pakistan and Sussex bowler Rana Naved.

The golden spell started when Dexter was squared up by an away swinger that pitched on middle and clipped the top of off stump.

Night watchman Marin Saggers (0) went in Naved’s next over to a swinging yorker that plucked out his off stump then Darren Stevens (0) fenced one to short leg to go without scoring

But van Jaarsveld with an unbeaten (61) and Geraint Jones (4) survived the final over through to stumps.

After starting their second innings at noon Kent lost skipper Rob Key (12) in the hour before lunch to a classic piece of seam bowling by Matthew Hoggard.

He sent down two off-cutters and followed it with a perfect leg-cutter that Key followed to edge low to Jacques Rudolph at slip.

Denly (66) and Dexter (72 not out) then teamed up for a second-wicket stand worth 132 in 34 runs, with both right-handers playing some aggressive shots.

Denly should have gone with his score on 17 when Andrew Gale downed a simple chance at third man, but he went on to post a 93-ball 50 with seven fours – his second half-century of the game.

But soon afterwards he received a lifting leg-cutter from Hoggard that brushed the edge and flew to Anthony McGrath at second slip.

Dexter also reached his 50, from 95 balls and with seven fours and a six, and looks to have rediscovered his most fluent form.

He went to three figures with a rasping off drive for four against Deon Kruis that took Kent beyond 230 to wipe out the Yorkshire first innings lead.

His third first-class hundred came in 207 minutes, from 184 balls and included nine fours and a six.

In tandem with Martin van Jaarsveld, Dexter featured in another century stand worth 107 in 34 overs with van Jaarsveld contributing a 78-ball 50 to go with his first-innings ton.

Earlier, Kent wrapped up the Tykes’ innings, taking their last three wickets in an hour as Amjad Khan trapped Adil Rashid (43) leg-before after he shouldered arms to an off-cutter.

Hoggard then fenced at a Khan lifter to snick to Darren Stevens at second slip and James Tredwell polished the job off by having Darren Gough (33) caught at square-leg.

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