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Darren Stevens claimed six second-innings wickets and nine in the match as Kent cruised to a 10-wicket demolition of Derbyshire inside three days at Canterbury on Tuesday evening.
The all-rounder’s quest for only a second career 10-wicket match haul was thwarted by spinner Adam Riley, whose star continued to grow with another seven-wicket match performance which has increased calls for him to be drafted into the England Test set-up.
Daniel Bell-Drummond was the first innings hero for the hosts with his maiden First Class century, departing for 101 leg-before to become the first of Tony Palladino’s five victims.
Bell-Drummond left with the hosts on 243-7, having been 240-4, but it was 247-8 before Adam Ball (30) and Robbie Joseph (29 not out) steered them to the third batting point, while last-man Doug Bollinger added 19 including two sixes before being stumped, with theo hosts 333 all-out.
Bollinger, Stevens and Riley blitzed the visitors in their reply on day two, restricting Derbyshire to 56-7, though a late Palladino flurry for 24 steered the visitors to 115 all-out, with Riley claiming 4-30, Stevens 3-25 and Bollinger 2-20, all at less than two an over.
Skipper Rob Key chose to enforce the follow-on, with the deficit still 218 runs, and their were three wickets to fall before the end of the second day, with Stevens adding two and Brendan Nash claiming one with the final ball of the day to leave Derbyshire on 32-3 overnight.
On the third morning - infront of the watching England selector Gus Fraser aswell as 1,500 children from Kent schools - Riley took the fourth wicket, before Stevens blitzed four more, though a 129-run eight-wicket partnership between Alex Hughes (82) and David Wainwright (60 not out) guided the visitors away from the threat of an innings defeat at 102-7 to 231-7.
In the end their total of 256 meant Kent needed 39 runs to win after tea on day three, with Bell-Drummond and Key cruising home in 10 overs without incident to ensure 22 points and just their second win, which took them fifth in LV= County Championship Division 2.
An ECB Pitch Panel convened after the match determined the pitch for the match had been 'below average' but no further action was taken against the club.