Kent v Durham

KENT lost seven wickets in just over an hour on Friday to slip to an eight-wicket, three-day defeat to Durham that revives the north-east county's hopes of overhauling Sussex and Lancashire in the chase for the 2007 LV Championship title.

Resuming on their overnight score of 99 for three and still trailing by 10 in the game, Kent capitulated to 160 all out by losing their last seven for 61 runs inside 15 overs.

The visitors then knocked off the 52 runs they required to win it in only 10.1 somewhat farcical overs.

Kent opened the bowling with Matt Walker and Neil Dexter and had Martin Saggers keeping wicket in a somewhat disrespectful move to the other title contenders.

Kent did take a couple of wickets, however, the first when Mark Stoneman skied a Walker long-hop to Joe Denly running round from mid-on to mid-wicket, then Kyle Coetzer clipped a Denly full-toss to Walker stationed near the mid-wicket ropes.

By 12.19 Michael Di Venuto stroked the winning single to deep extra cover - it may yet be the run that takes the champions' pennant to the Riverside.

England seam bowler Liam Plunkett started Kent's slide by bagging three for three for five inside 13 balls and then England's bowling coach-to-be, Ottis Gibson rubbed further salt in the wounds by taking two in as many balls.

Martin van Jaarsveld was Kent's first casualty, having added one to his overnight score walked across his stumps aiming to flick leg-side only to miss and go lbw.

Debutant Sam Northeast lasted only four balls before he went back to a lifting ball from Plunkett that took the shoulder of the right-hander's bat and spooned out to Stoneman running in from cover point.

In Plunkett's next over and with Kent only four ahead Dexter (11) fenced involuntarily at a leg-cutter and edged to the keeper to make it 113 for six.

Graham Onions then got in on the act by running one across James Tredwell that the left-hander followed with an airy drive that flew to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at first slip.

Gibson replaced Plunkett at the Pavilion End and made an immediate impact with wickets from his third and fourth balls.

Ryan McLaren (8) gloved a lifter to slip and Simon Cook (0) went first ball, yorked by a ball that removed off and middle stumps, bringing in Saggers to face the hat-trick ball.

Saggers survived it, indeed he spanked it through extra cover for four, but his fun soon ended when he chopped on to Wiseman to give the off-spinner excellent figures of four for 45, while Plunkett closed with three for 37 and Gibson - the PCA's deserved player of the season, two for 42 and a total of 80 wickets for the championship season.

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 lbw b Plunkett 15
M J Walker c Di Venuto b Wiseman 10
N J Dexter c Mustard b Plunkett 11
S A Northeast c Stoneman b Plunkett 0
G O Jones not out 25
J C Tredwell c Chanderpaul b Onions 5
R McLaren c Chanderpaul b Gibson 8
S J Cook b Gibson 0
M J Saggers b Wiseman 14
Extras 9

Total 160 all out after 44.1 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-67, 2-68, 3-80, 4-100, 5-104, 6-113, 7-118, 8-137, 9-137.

Bowling: Onions 8-2-32-1, Gibson 12-2-42-2, Davies 2-0-12-0, Plunkett 10-1-27-3, P J Wiseman 12.1-2-45-4.

Durham second innings

M J Di Venuto not out 23
M D Stoneman c Denly b Walker 6
K J Coetzer c Walker b Denly 1
P J Wiseman not out 17
Extras 5

Total 52 for two after 10.1 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-14, 2-32.

Bowling: Dexter 2-0-8-0, Walker 2-0-10-1, Denly 3.1-2-12-1, Jones 2-0-14-0, Key 1-0-6-0.

Bonus points: Kent 4pts, Durham 20pts.