Kent 295 for six – trail by 104

A MAIDEN championship hundred for the summer by Darren Stevens lit up day two of Kent’s championship clash with Sussex in Hove.

Stevens, whose place in the county’s four-day side was seemingly under threat prior to this game, had warmed up for this match with a stunning innings of 125 in Tuesday’s 2nd XI Trophy tie against Hampshire at St Lawrence.

He bought that form and pace of scoring down to the South Coast to make the most of this rapid Hove outfield and benign pitch to reach three figures from 142 balls and with 11 fours and three sixes.

The former Leicestershire batsman came in with his side in trouble at 34 for three in response to the Sussex first innings of 399 all out.

They had lost Fulton (0) leg before to Jason Lewry’s first ball of the innings then Martin van Jaarsveld (10) when James Kirtley ran one back off the seam to find the right-hander’s off stump via an inside edge.

Skipper Rob Key had looked commanding when easing to 16, but Matthew Walker then turned down his call for a run to backward square and lost the race against Richard Montgomerie’s throw up the slope to the non-striker’s end.

Kent still trailed by 365 when Stevens idled in to join Walker, but gradually his strokeplay coupled with Walker’s doggedness turned the initiative Kent’s way as the pair added 188 for the fourth wicket in 46 overs.

Walker, who was hit flush on his right glove by an Arafat beamer when on 60, was prepared to play second fiddle much of the time allowing Stevens the lion’s share of the strike.

Boasting a modest top-score of 70 this summer, Stevens was in need of runs in order to silence those pushing for Neil Dexter’s first team inclusion which he achieved with aplomb.

He took a particular liking to rookie Sussex spinner Ollie Rayner who, tossed two deliveries up in his second over only to see the first disappear over the ropes at mid-wicket while the next sailed over the Gilligan Stand and into the block of flats at the Sea End.

Stevens went to his 50 with a third six off Rayner and then dined almost exclusively on flashing drives to reach his fifth century for Kent, the ninth of his career and first against Sussex.

He bristled upon reaching three figures and celebrated with four more boundaries off Kirtley, three straight and one steered through third-man, but the fun ended when he worked across the line to Yasir Arafat to go leg before for 118.

Debutant Dwane Bravo scored his first run for Kent with a back-foot force through cover and followed it with a couple of wristy flicks and four fours in a cameo 23 scored from as many balls.

It was all typically West Indian. Bottom-handed punches off the back foot with a short-back lift, expansive front foot drives with exaggerated follow-throughs and an ill-judged pull shot against Arafat that saw him hole out to Kirtley running in from long leg.

On this showing, Bravo’s two-month stint with Kent promises to be entertaining if nothing else.

Sadly for Kent’s hopes of posting a first innings lead, left-hander Walker soon followed to the same bowler.

Having just glanced his 11th boundary to move to 87 he followed one angled across the body two deliveries later to edge to Matt Prior behind the stumps and give Arafat a deserved figures of three for 42 from his steadfast, 14-over unbroken stint after tea.

Fellow left-handers James Tredwell (5) and Niall O’Brien(5) opted for a low risk strategy through to the close as the visitors moved within 104 of the Sussex total.

At the start of the day Kent required 65 minutes and almost 18 more overs to take the last two Sussex wickets and polish off their first innings just a run short of a fifth batting bonus point.

Top-scorer Michael Yardy was first to go, having moved on from his overnight score of 126 on by eight runs, the left-hander gloved an Amjad Khan lifter through to keeper Niall O’Brien.

Last pair Kirtley (36) and Lewry (17) added a further 22 before a Min Patel arm-ball snared Kirtley leg before to leave Patel with figures of four for 101 while Khan, the other wicket-taker of the morning, closed with three for 75.

SCORECARD

Sussex first innings

R R Montgomerie lbw b Khan 0
C D Hopkinson lbw b Henderson 20
M H Yardy c O’Brien b Khan 134
M W Goodwin st O’Brien b Patel 82
C J Adams lbw b Khan 3
M J Prior c Tredwell b Bravo 15
L J Wright c Key b Patel 0
Yasir Arafat c Stevens b Patel 31
O P Rayner st O’Brien b Tredwell 23
R J Kirtley lbw b Patel 36
J D Lewry not out 17

Extras 38

Total 399 all out after 121.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-0, 2-39, 3-180, 4-199, 5-223, 6-224, 7-268, 8-308, 9-377

Bowling: Khan 28-3-75-3, Henderson 20-4-57-1, Bravo 16-1-74-1, Stevens 3-0-14-0, Tredwell 17-1-56-1, Patel 37.4-7-101-4.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton lbw b Lewry 0
R W T Key run out (Montgomerie) 16
M van Jaarsveld b Kirtley 10
M J Walker c Prior b Arafat 87
D I Stevens lbw b Arafat 118
D J Bravo c Kirtley b Arafat 23
J C Tredwell not out 5
N J O’Brien not out 7

Extras 29

Total 295 for six after 84 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-0, 2-17, 3-34, 4-222, 5-266, 6-280,

Bowling: Lewry 18-4-37-1, Kirtley 17-3-70-1, Arafat 21-1-66-3, Wright 12-6-33-0, Rayner 10-1-47-0, Yardy 5-0-16-0, Adams 1-0-2-0.

Bonus points: Sussex 6pts, Kent 5pts.