Kent win by 196 runs

KENT coasted to their first Frizzell Championship win of the season by toppling previous Division 1 leaders Nottinghamshire by 196-runs at Trent Bridge.

In a cut and thrust game played out over four fairly bleak days in the East Midlands, Kent always enjoyed the edge over a weakened host side and might have won by an even greater margin had they really forced the pace.

Having secured a first innings lead of 117 on Trent Bridge track of occasional excessive bounce, Kent turned the screw by scoring at 4.2 an over in their second innings in reaching 298 for eight.

David Fulton’s declaration left his attack a possible 117 overs in which to dismiss Stephen Fleming’s side for a second time a feat they achieved with almost 23 overs and a session to spare.

The pattern for the game was set on day one when, after being put in, most of Kent’s batsmen made a start without going on to make a match-defining innings.

The hosts, without four injured first-choice seamers bought in Lancashire seamer Oliver Newby on loan for a debut, but only left-armer Ryan Sidebottom made the most of the conditions with an excellent five for 61.

Fulton and Rob Key got the county off to their customary good start with 51 on the board before Key gave up his wicket with a loose drive, way outside off stump.

Fulton and Matt Walker went on to post 50s and Darren Stevens might have joined them, had he not played an ill-judged forcing shot against the nagging slingers of Mark Ealham.

With Martin van Jaarsveld and Andrew Hall, in for his debut at the expense of the unfortunate Matt Dennington, both bagging pairs Kent had to look elsewhere for their runs.

In the end, they were indebted to Niall O’Brien in for his season’s debut in place of England’s Geraint Jones, who joined forces with Min Patel (22) to add 68 for the eighth wicket.

It transpired that O’Brien’s impish 64 would be the top score of the game as Kent just reached 301 for a third batting bonus point.

Simon Cook then made good use of the sporting Trent Bridge pitch to claim Kent-best figures of five for 44 in limiting the hosts to 184.

A nagging length and occasional lift helped Cook’s cause and he was given useful support by Amjad Khan with two for 38 and Martin Saggers, who bowled much better than his one for 66 return suggests.

With the time and, for the first time this year, the weather on their side, Kent put in a clinical last day performance in the field to polish the job off.

Hall bowled with aggression to snare four for 42 – his best figures in England - and also caught well, while Patel chipped in with the vital wickets of Fleming, whom he lured down the track, then former team-mate Ealham was also beaten in the flight.

Khan bowled with decent control and spirit, sending back the dangerous David Hussey to a catch at the wicket then, in yorking Chris Read, to record the third pair of the match.

The home last pair of Sidebottom and Newby showed some defiance in adding 73 in 12 overs for their highest stand of the match, before Patel had Sidebottom stumped quarter of an hour before tea.

SCOREBOARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Read b Sidebottom 57
RWT Key c Hussey b Sidebottom 32
M van Jaarsveld c Read b Sidebottom 0
M J Walker lbw b Newby 50
D I Stevens lbw b Ealham 33
A Hall c Gallian b Newby 0
N O’Brien c Read b Sidebottom 64
S J Cook b Patel 0
M M Patel c Read b Ealham 22
A Khan c Fleming b Sidebottom 19
M J Saggers not out 12
Extras 11

Total 301 all out after 102.2 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-85, 3-126, 4-159, 5-167, 6-189, 7-192

Bowling: Sidebottom 27.2-9-61-5, Newby 20-6-79-2, Ealham 24-5-69-2, Clough 17-2-45-0, Patel 14-2-37-1.

Nottinghamshire first innings

D J Bicknell run out (Fulton) 63
J E R Gallian c O’Brien b Cook 18
A Singh c Hall b Saggers 11
S P Fleming c Fulton b Khan 24
D J Hussey c O’Brien b Cook 23
C M W Read c van Jaarsfeld b Cook 0
M A Ealham c van Jaarsveld b Cook 0
S R Patel c Khan b Hall 12
R J Sidebottom c Cook b Khan 0
G D Clough not out 14
O J Newby c Walker b Cook 11
Extras 6

Total 184 all out after 64 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-80, 3-118, 4-134, 5-135, 6-146, 7-146, 8-166, 9-168

Bowling: Saggers 17-3-66-1, Khan 12-1-38-2, Cook 18-5-44-5, Hall 16-3-33-1, Patel 1-0-2-0.

Kent second innings

D P Fulton c Read b Sidebottom 51
RWT Key c Hussey b Newby 32
M van Jaarsveld b Clough 0
M J Walker c Read b Ealham 48
D I Stevens lbw b Patel 47
A Hall lbw b Patel 0
N O’Brien b Patel 8
S J Cook c Ealham b Newby 38
M M Patel not out 37
A Khan not out 5
Extras 32

Total 298 for eight declared after 72 overs.

Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-78, 3-136, 4-181, 5-188, 6-209, 7-216, 8-290.

Bowling: Sidebottom 14-4-35-1, Newby 15-1-78-2, Ealham 15-2-47-1, Clough 7-0-39-1, Patel 21-6-73-3.

Nottinghamshire second innings

D J Bicknell c van Jaarsveld b Hall 17
J E R Gallian c Patel b Hall 36
A Singh c Hall b Cook 11
S P Fleming b Patel 20
D J Hussey c O’Brien b Khan 26
C M W Read b Khan 0
M A Ealham c Hall b Patel 21
S R Patel c Stevens b Hall 3
G D Clough lbw b Hall 0
R J Sidebottom st O’Brien b Patel 31
O J Newby not out 38
Extras 16

Total 219 all out after 73.2 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-56, 3-76, 4-114, 5-116, 6-116, 7-144, 8-144, 9-146.

Bowling: Saggers 15-7-38-0, Khan 11-3-36-2, Cook 9-2-30-1, Hall 18-5-42-4, Patel 20.2-6-61-3.

Bonus points: Kent 20 points, Nottinghamshire 3 points.