Lancashire v Kent day two

Lancashire batsman Stuart Law proved the major stumbling block for Kent and their push toward a crucial LV Championship win over Lancashire at Aigburth on Thursday.

The Red Rose County’s skipper fell after tea for a backs-to-the-wall 79 scored over almost three hours, leaving Lancashire to go in at stumps on 257-7 a lead of 131 going into the third day of four in this critical game.

Law easily top-scored 40 despite batting with a suspected broken finger, the legacy of a dropped slip catch on day one.

Lancashire lost Mark Chilton (2) to only the third ball of the reply from Yasir Arafat when he edged leg-side flick to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.

After the break Paul Horton (29) drove loosely at an Amjad Khan away swinger to be caught behind, as was Karl Brown (40), who snicked an attempted cut off Khan through to the keeper.

Law’s uppercut four to third man in the 31st over wiped out the first innings arrears but soon after Francois Du Plessis (15) pushed forward to James Tredwell to turn a bat-pad chance to short leg and become the first victim to spin in the game.

After tea Steven Croft (2) padded up to a Martin van Jaarsveld turner to leg before then Luke Sutton (18) had his middle stump plucked out by a rapid delivery from Khan.

Khan was in the thick of the action again in the next over when he ran in from the ropes at third man to take a stunning low catch from a Law upper-cut to give Ryan McLaren a much deserved wicket after his fine spell from the River End.

Kent innings

Kent batted on a further 24 overs on Thursday in adding a further 86 runs and whilst losing their last five, first innings wickets.

Night watchman Robbie Joseph survived half-an-hour in reaching six before Joseph, prodding at a good ball from Oliver Newby, went leg before.

Opening bat Joe Denly, incapacitated by a migraine on the opening day, soon became the sixth lbw victim of the innings when he pushed half-forward to a Glen Chapple off-cutter to go for a 10-ball duck.

Left-hander Ryan McLaren played positively in reaching 12 to add a further 34 with Kemp but he checked an attempted cover drive against Steven Croft to loft a catch to Chapple at wide mid-on.

Kemp rocked back to pull Croft for four through mid-wicket to reach a crucial 75-ball half-century, only his second of the season it included six boundaries.

In the very next over Yasir Arafat (13), driving hard at Tom Smith edged to Horton who took a sharp, low tumbling chance at first slip.

Last man Khan then became the seventh lbw victim of the innings when he went to Croft for nought, though he appeared well forward in defence and potentially outside the line of off stump.

Newby finished with 4-79, Chapple 3-61 and Croft 2-34 as Kent were dismissed in 58 overs for a useful lead of 126.

Kemp, who still appears to be suffering from back pain, was left unbeaten on 56, a battling innings that lasted 82 balls.

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