Hampshire v Kent

KENT ensured first division survival in style with a 10-wicket LV Championship win over title-chasing Hampshire that staved off the threat of suffering relegation for the first time.

The injury-hit visitors dug deep into their reserves of courage and stamina to take 13 wickets in the day by dismissing Hampshire for 216 and 282 to seal an emphatic 22-point win with a day to spare and give Hampshire skipper Shane Warne the worst of all presents on his 38th birthday.

The third day started with Kent in control, but facing a quandary as to whether to enforce the follow on. Rob Key wanted to bat again in order to rest his shattered bowling attack, but they came up trumps in taking Hampshire's last three wickets in 30 minutes and they sustained that effort right through to 6pm when they dismissed Hampshire for a second time.

James Tredwell, bowling with a swollen right knee, was the undoubted hero taking four for 114 from the pavilion end from a marathon 44 over stint.

With Martin Saggers struggling for rythmn and Ryan McLaren bowling with a swollen and fractured right thumb, Key's otions were limited, his "Mr Reliable" Simon Cook delivered two wickets for 37, but Key was forced to call upon occasional bowlers Martin van Jaarsveld and Joe Denly, and they too did their bit for their skipper.

Denly's leg-spin claimed two for 34, while van Jaarsveld, in a short stint from the Northern End that edged into the extra half-hour, bagged two for 17 including Hampshire's last wicket James Bruce.

It left Kent to score four for their first championship win in three months, a feat that took Denly three balls as he smashed his former team-mate Michael Carberry for two and then a straight four to secure Kent's spot in the championship top flight for an ninth straight year.

Earlier, the visitors needed 30 minutes and just under six overs to polish off the home first innings for 216 and had the hosts batting again by 11.05 still 279 in arrears.

Martin Saggers made the first breakthrough, getting Warne (37) to waft at a wide away-swinger he edged to second slip where van Jaarsveld held a sharp, shoulder-high chance.

In the next over Bruce took a four off McLaren to see Hampshire to their sole batting bonus point, but the right-hander then played back to a shooting off-cutter to lose his middle and off stumps.

McLaren then wrapped up the innings by having David Balcombe (29) caught at deep mid-wicket off a well timed pull shot that flew into the grasp of Cook.

Kent, having considered the option of having a bat themselves, eventually decided to make Hampshire follow on.

Afterwards, a delighted skipper Rob Key said: "I said to our boys that we've done this the hard way. There has been a hell of a lot this season that's gone against us that we couldn't control.

"We've had the beating of sides like Warwickshire on two occasions and it's rained, we had the debacle against Worcestershire and played one day in eight against them, yet we've come through it all.

"We did well the other day to hold Lancashire, to control that game with a weakened squad was a serious effort, and the boys have really stepped up to the plate here as well.

"I think we can quite rightly say that if things hadn't gone against us to such an extent we might have been right up their in the title mix.

"As it is, we've had to show some great character and fight down the other end of the table and to be playing fist division cricket again next season is important I think because the gap between first and second division getting bigger and bigger each season."

Scorecard

Kent first innings

J L Denly st Pothas b Warne 54
R W T Key lbw b Ervine 84
M van Jaarsveld b Balmcombe 112
M J Walker c Brown b Warne 38
D I Stevens c Pothas b Bruce 18
N J Dexter c Pothas b Balcombe 6
G O Jones b Tomlinson 63
J C Tredwell lbw b Adams 62
R J McLaren not out 35
S J Cook lbw b Warne 9
M J Saggers lbw b Warne 1
Extras 13

Total 495 all out after 146.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-122, 2-169, 3-249, 4-296, 5-310, 6-342, 7-425, 8-462, 9-481.

Bowling: Bruce 30-4-101-1, Tomlinson 21-6-81-1, Balcombe 28-5-106-2, Warne 44.3-6-134-4. Ervine 16-4-47-1, Carberry 4-1-8-0, Adams 3-0-10-0.

Hampshire first innings

M J Brown c Stevens b Tredwell 42
M J Carberry lbw b Tredwell 46
J H K Adams c Dexter b Tredwell 3
M J Lumb lbw b Cook 0
C C Benham c Stevens b McLaren 17
N Pothas c Jones b Cook 0
S M Ervine c Jones b Tredwell 20
S K Warne c van Jaarsveld b Saggers 37
D J Balcombe c Cook b McLaren 29
J T A Bruce b McLaren 4
J A Tomlinson not out 4
Extras 14

Total 216 all out after 63.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-79, 2-98, 3-99, 4-99. 5-104, 6-133, 7-139, 8-196, 9-201.

Bowling: Saggers 11-1-47-1, McLaren 19.4-3-96-3, Tredwell 23-8-46-4, Cook 10-3-22-2.

Hampshire second inngs

M J Brown not out 42
M J Carberry b Tredwell 31
J H K Adams lbw b Cook 16
C C Benham lbw b Denly 32
M J Lumb not out ??
N Pothas c Walker b Tredwell 1
S M Ervine c van Jaarsveld b Tredwell 1
S K Warne c Stevens b Denly 4
D J Balcombe v McLaren b Tredwell 25
J T A Bruce not out 3
J A Tomlinson c Stevens b van Jaarsveld 9
Extras 18

Total 282 all out after 100.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-77, 2-104, 3-117, 4-198, 5-210, 6-207, 7-216, 8-270, 9-.

Bowling: Saggers 9-2-26-0, McLaren 12-1-39-0, Tredwell 44-8-114-4, Denly 18-3-34-2, 5-4-1-17-2.

Kent second innings

J L Denly not out 6
R W T Key not out 0
Extras 0

Total six without loss after 0.3 overs

Bowling: Carberry 0.3-0-6-0.

Bonus points: Hampshire 3pts, Kent 22pts.