A SINGLE-MINDED act of defiance by Kent’s Matthew Walker helped bat his side into a position of dominance against championship-chasing Lancashire at sun-baked St Lawrence.

The in-from left-hander scored a brilliant 197 from 336-balls to help the hosts reach 439 all out to secure a first innings lead of 222 over the red rose county.

The diminutive left-hander, who had batted for five hours on the hottest day of the year was just short of the second double century of his career when he faced up to Gary Keedy’s 40th over of the innings.

Walker reverse swept for four, on-drove for another boundary and then clipped toward mid-wicket expecting to run two to move to 198.

But as he turned at the non-striker’s end Walker’s right leg seized up with cramp and he was left stumbling mid-way between the wickets when Sajid Mahmood’s throw arrived to run him out by a country mile.

The left-hander was hauled to his feet by Andrew Flintoff, dusted down and applauded from the field and all the way back to the pavilion by Lancashire’s players and a vociferous home crowd after an innings that had batted Kent into the ascendancy in this game.

Walker had featured in a fifth-wicket stand with new overseas recruit Dwayne Bravo who, on his home championship debut, hit an elegant 76 including eight fours and two impudent sixes, both flicked over mid-wicket off the bowling of Keedy.

Bravo fell to a sharp slip catch by Stuart Law with Kent barely in the lead and three more wickets soon followed to Mahmood but, thankfully for Kent, Walker had an appetite for more.

The left-hander teamed up with ninth-wicket partner Amjad Khan for a record stand of 121, beating the 101-year-old record set by Colin Blythe and Bill Fairservice.

Khan eventually went for a season’s best 38 from 119-balls leaving Martin Saggers to try and steer Walker to his double century, but sadly he failed.

Walker duly received a standing ovation having taken Kent to maximum batting bonus points, but for the next hour he remained in the dressing room receiving treatment for severe dehydration.

He had taken his season’s tally to 938 runs at an average of 67, overtaken Martin van Jaarsveld as the club’s leading run-scorer and notched his second century against Lancashire in the process.

With 17 overs of the day remaining Kent’s buoyant team skipped out onto the field knowing they were in command, but two quick wickets within five overs simply served to lift them further.

Visiting skipper Mark Chilton edged a Tyron Henderson leg-cutter to the keeper after four overs and then, in the next, Iain Sutcliffe chopped on against Khan to leave the Spitfires cock-a-hoop.

Lancashire survived through to stumps on 56 for two, but they go into day three of this game still trailing by 166 and with only eight wickets intact.

The script may yet include a Boy’s Own batting comeback inspired by Andrew Flintoff, but Kent will still be delighted with their work through to the mid-point of this top-of-the-table clash.

SCORECARD

Lancashire first innings

M J Chilton c O’Brien b Saggers 31
I J Sutcliffe b Khan 10
M B Loye c O’Brien b Henderson 6
S G Law b Khan 53
N J Astle c van Jaarsveld b Henderson 7
A Flintoff c O’Brien b Henderson 4
G Chapple c Fulton b Henderson 0
G D Cross lbw b Khan 72
D G Cork c Walker b Saggers 10
S I Mahmood c Henderson b Saggers 3
G Keedy not out 2

Extras 20

Total 218 all out after 57.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-58, 2-29, 3-58, 4-92, 5-102, 6-102, 7-184, 8-205, 9-216.

Bowling: Khan 17-2-73-3, Henderson 14-5-29-4, Bravo 9-0-50-0, Saggers 12.5-4-38-3, Stevens 2-0-8-0, Patel 3-1-7-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Flintoff b Chapple 29
R W T Key b Flintoff 0
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Flintoff 6
M J Walker run out (Mahmood) 197
D I Stevens c Cross b Cork 25
D Bravo c Law b Astle 76
N J O’Brien c Chapple b Mahmood 10
T Henderson c Chapple b Mahmood 13
M M Patel c Chapple b Mahmood 0
M J Saggers not out 2

Extras 28

Total 440 all out after 130.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-28, 2-42, 3-56, 4-109, 5-246, 6-283, 7-299, 8-301, 9-422.

Bowling: Cork 23-6-76-1, Chapple 21-5-75-1, Flintoff 19-4-45-2, Mahmood 20-2-79-3, Keedy 39.3-4-128-1, Astle 8-1-17-1.

Lancashire second innings

I J Sutcliffe b Khan 6
M J Chilton c O’Brien b Henderson 1
M B Loye not out 38
S H Law not out 11

Extras 0

Total 56 for two after 17 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-2, 2-12,

Bowling: Khan 6-1-26-1, Henderson 6-3-16-1, Bravo 3-1-9-0, Saggers 2-0-5-0.

Bonus points: Kent 8pts Lancashire 4pts.

* Mark Pennell's report from day three will appear here at the close of play this evening.