Hampshire v Kent

Kent travelled home with 12 points from their rain-ruined draw with Hampshire after further heavy showers led to the loss of another 56 overs of the final day.

Rob Key's side had bossed the game whenever play was possible, so much so that they scored their best total of the season in posting 431-8 declaredand followed that up by forcing Hampshire to follow-on still 216 in arrears.

Kent had an outside chance of skittling the hosts out for a second time in the 53 avaialble overs but once again the weather turned against them.

Come 4pm, umpires Jeremy Lloyds and John Holder were forced to abandon the game with Hampshire on 33 without loss.

The hosts, who needed 282 to avoid the follow-on, had succumbed meekly in the morning session by losing their last five wickets for only 85 runs.

It took Kent 10 overs to make their first breakthrough of the final day when luck finally ran out for home skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas with his score on 45.

Having already edged twice through the slip cordon for lucky boundaries and survived a run out chance to Darren Stevens at cover, Mascarenhas went five short of his 50 when he edged Azhar Mahmood to Geraint Jones.

That ended a stand worth 76 in 21 overs with Greg Lamb (27) who, six overs later, pushed at another sublime delivery from Mahmood to snick to James Tredwell at third slip.

Ryan McLaren then got in on the act by removing Tom Burrows (13) but much of the credit went to the slip cordon. Driving hard at a leg-cutter, Burrows edged high to third slip, Tredwell got his left hand on it to parry the ball down and Martin van Jaarsveld completed the task diving to his right and behind Tredwell to snaffle the re-bound two-handed.

Two balls later, Shane Bond was leg before to McLaren for nought then Amjad Khan took his second wicket of the innings by having Tremlett (38) caught off the gloves by Justin Kemp at slip.

Tremlett had at least taken Hampshire past 200 for a batting bonus point by hitting three straight sixes off Tredwell, whose five, wicket-less overs cost 46 runs.

Kent return to action on Wednesday, with their Friends Provident Trophy quarter- final tie against Somerset in Canterbury. The match is scheduled to start at 12.10pm, but there will be a reserve day on Thursday should the weather again play a part.