Kent 115 for two – trail Nottinghamshire by 381 runs

A DOGGED three-hour innings of 57 from David Fulton kept Nottinghamshire at bay as Kent struggled in testing conditions on day two of their championship battle with Nottinghamshire.

Heavy skies above Trent Bridge exaggerated movement of the ball through the air, conditions which were exploited beautifully by left-armer Ryan Sidebottom and Fulton’s ex team-mate Mark Ealham.

Sidebottom got one to duck in to snare Rob Key (20) leg-before then ran one across Martin van Jaarsveld (2) to have him caught at the wicket at the second time of asking.

That bought together Fulton and Matthew Walker, who showed all their experience in adding 72 in 26 overs before rain and bad light arrived four balls after tea to halt proceedings 32 overs from the scheduled close.

By then Fulton had posted his seventh half-century of the summer and Walker (31), in straight driving a two off Sidebottom, posted his 1,000th run for the first-class season – the third time the left-hander from Whitstable has reached the milestone.

At the start of the day Nottinghamshire batted on, using up a further 27 overs in adding 115 to their overnight score to post their 496 all out, their highest total of the summer.

Former Kent all-rounder Ealham was their last man out, eight short of a deserved century he became the sixth victim for Dwayne Bravo, who took Kent-best figures of six for 112 and promptly announced this was likely to be his last championship appearance.

Ealham accelerated after his 131-ball 50 to add 42 from the next 27 deliveries, that included two, picked-up leg-side sixes off Bravo into the Fox Road Stand.

The West Indies’ all-rounder had his revenge when fooling Ealham into driving a slower ball to Stevens at extra cover.

Bravo also accounted for Graeme Swann (15), who swished to point, Ryan Sidebottom (7), who edged a wild slash to the keeper, and Andrew Harris, driving another slower ball to Key at short extra-cover.

It had been Cook, the pick of Kent’s attack, who accounted for top-scorer David Hussey after a season’s-best 164 scored over five-and-a-half hours, with 21 fours and a six.

The Australian finally edged a push drive to second slip where Martin van Jaarsveld atoned for two missed opportunities on day one by claiming his 29th catch of the campaign.

Cook, one of three Kent bowlers to concede a 100 or more, had three catches downed to finish with two for 101 and Tyron Henderson, who also had a chance go begging, one for 100.

Most Kentish concerns surrounded Robbie Joseph however, his 17 wicket-less overs inside four sessions included a confidence-sapping spate of seven no-balls.

SCORECARD

Nottinghamshire first innings

D J Bicknell c Jones b Bravo 19
W R Smith lbw b Henderson 3
D Alleyne lbw b Cook 8
S P Fleming c van Jaarsveld b Bravo 101
D J Hussey c van Jaarsveld b Cook 164
S R Patel c&b Stevens 27
M A Ealham c Stevens b Bravo 92
G P Swann c Stevens b Bravo 15
A J Harris c Key b Bravo 14
R J Sidebottom c Jones b Bravo 7
C Shreck not out 1

Extras 45

Total 496 all out after 130.1 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-11, 2-22, 3-61, 4-225, 5-298, 6-396, 7-427, 8-444, 9-478.

Bowling: Henderson 30-7-100-1, Cook 28-4-101-2, Joseph 17-0-80-0, Bravo 24.1-4-112-6, Stevens 13-4-25-1, Patel 17-1-64-0, Walker 1-1-0-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton not out 57
R W T Key lbw b Sidebottom 20
M van Jaarsveld c Alleyne b Sidebottom 2
M J Walker not out 31

Extras 5

Total 115 for two after 41.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-27, 2-43,

Bowling: Sidebottom 14-5-26-2, Shreck 13-3-47-0, Harris 7.4-2-16-0, Ealham 5-1-19-0, Swann 2-0-6-0.

Bonus points: Nottinghamshire 5pts, Kent 3pts.