Kent v Sussex

Kent’s rain-ruined LV Championship match with Sussex ended in a draw with the hosts taking 10 points to the visitors nine, just enough to keep Rob Key’s side off the foot of the Division 1 table.

On a sunny day at St Lawrence it transpired to be a dull afternoon in terms of cricketing action as Sussex, who reached 300-8 in reply to Kent’s 350-8, declared 50 runs behind to deny Kent maximum bowling bonus points.

Kent then lost Joe Denly (8) to a catch at the wicket in the second over of Kent’s second innings but, with Kent on 14-1 and 64 ahead in the game, the sides shook hands on a draw with Sussex going home with nine points.

The south coast county needed 201 to avoid the follow-on, which they did soon after the lunch interval, yet Sussex still lost two more wickets in the mid-session of this the final day.

After a sixth-wicket stand worth 105 in 25 overs between Carl Hopkinson and Murray Goodwin, it was Goodwin who went for and 83-ball 50 with five fours.

Aiming to drive at Robbie Joseph the little Zimbabwean got an inside edge to drag the ball onto his stumps.

Hopkinson looked set for his maiden first-class century in moving smoothly to 69 but, to the fourth delivery with the new ball he pushed down the wrong line in defence to Ryan McLaren and had off stump plucked out of the ground.

Robin Martin-Jenkins lost his off stump to McLaren in near identical circumstances after tea, but Chris Adams declared soon after leaving Kent with only two bowling points.

Earlier, the visitors, 57-1 overnight, lost their night watchman Ragheb Aga (13) in the eighth over of the day when the willowy right-hander cut at a wide ball from Yasir Arafat to pick out Ryan McLaren at point who took a sharp, low catch.

Robbie Joseph then came on at the Pavilion End and again impressed in an aggressive spell that accounted for both Adams and Michael Yardy.

Adams (26) tried to withdraw the bat from a quick leg-cutter but only succeeded in steering a catch to James Tredwell at third slip then, after a three-hour stay for 42, Yardy was snared leg before by an off-cutter that beat him for pace when in defence on the back foot. Joseph finished his seven-over spell with two for 16.

In the very next over James Tredwell struck by removing the in-form Matt Prior for just a single. Driving at a flighted delivery without moving his feet, Prior played inside the line of a turning ball and lost his off stump.