KENT and Yorkshire shared the spoils as their four-day championship clash faded into a bore draw in Canterbury.

By the time the teams shook hands on the draw at 5.20pm the majority had supporters had already left, keen to enliven their afternoon by watching the FA Cup final and, in fairness, no one could blame them.

A game that was seemingly finely balanced after three fascinating days – Yorkshire went into Saturday trailing by 149 – ended tediously as Kent’s injury hit attack failed to create pressure or take wickets.

Despite a tinder try pitch and a crumbling surface, neither spinners or seamers made much impact allowing Yorkshire’s out of form top order to cash in with some valuable batting practice.

Things looked somewhat brighter at 11.32am when, with only his fourth ball of the day, Justin Kemp lured Joe Sayers into an injudicious cut that Rob Key caught in the gully leaping to his left.

Kent took their next wicket at 4.30pm and 177 runs on, by which time barely a 100 people were left in the ground and West Ham had edged into a 3-2 lead.

Matthew Wood was just eight short of his first century of the summer when, in trying to sweep the occasional off-spinners of Darren Stevens, he got himself into a dreadful knot only to be bowled through his legs when completely off balance.

In-between times Kent had shown little flair or imagination in trying to force the win and once the hardness went out of the new ball the draw was always the likely result.

Seamers Robbie Joseph, Simon Cook and Kemp hardly threatened and without the artful Min Patel, missing with a groin strain, the spin department appeared positively toothless.

Left-arm spinner Ferley, seemingly low on confidence and match practice on this his season’s debut, bowled mainly over the wicket with little flight, guile or perceivable turn and finished wicketless from his 42 overs.

Indeed, it was the part-time off-spin of Martin van Jaarsveld and Stevens that looked more likely to break Yorkshire’s second wicket pairing and so it proved.

Despite losing Wood just after tea McGrath, who scored his maiden century here 10 years ago, went on to three figures again from 226 balls and with 11 fours.

It was the 19th century of his career, possibly the least memorable one too, and soon after they sides agreed the draw and went off to watch extra time in Cardiff.

SCORECARD

Yorkshire won toss and bat

Yorkshire first innings

M J Wood lbw b Kemp 11
J J Sayers c Kemp b Cook 1
A McGrath c Kemp b Cook
M J Lumb c O’Brien b Dexter 3
D S Lehmann c Key b Cook 193
C White b Stevens 79
T T Bresnan b Stevens 33
S M Guy c O’Brien b Cook 6
R K Dawson b Stevens 12
J M Gillespie not out 7
G J Kruis b Stevens 1

Extras 27

Total 382 all out after 127.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-6, 2-18, 3-26, 4-34, 5-263, 6-334, 7-342, 8-369, 9-378

Bowling: Joseph 26-5-86-0, Cook 27-8-67-4, Kemp 20-3-56-1, Dexter 17-2-55-1, Stevens 17.3-3-36-4, Ferley 14-3-42-0, Walker 6-1-17-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Guy b Dawson 75
R W T Key c Guy b Bresnan 81
M van Jaarsveld c Sayers b Dawson 82
S J Cook lbw b Lehmann 0
M J Walker c Wood b Dawson 60
D I Stevens lbw b McGrath 3
J M Kemp not out 124
N J Dexter b Kruis 39
N J O’Brien run out (Bresnan) 6
R S Ferley c Guy b Dawson 14
R H Joseph c Guy b White 29

Extras 20

Total 533 all out after 177.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-153, 2-183, 3-186, 4-304, 5-307, 6-317, 7-398, 8-420, 9-449

Bowling: Gillespie 31-9-86-0, Kruis 27-5-91-1, Bresnan 26-5-67-1, McGrath 17-4-38-1, Dawson 43-3-151-4, Lehmann 21-2-60-1, White 10.5-0-26-1, Sayers 2-0-7-0.

Yorkshire second innings

M J Wood b Stevens 92
J J Sayers c Key b Kemp 5
A McGrath not out 123
M J Lumb not out 24

Extras 19

Total 263 for two

Fall of wicket: 1-21, 2-198,

Bowling: Joseph 7-0-23-0, Cook 9-1-21-0, Kemp 2-0-7-1, Ferley 42-10-94-0, Stevens 14-3-33-1, van Jaarsveld 19-2-60-0, Walker 3-0-13-0.

Bonus Points: Kent 11pts, Yorkshire 10pts.