Kent 195 for seven – trail by 76 runs

KENT’S third day performance at the Rose Bowl proved as miserable as the recent weather as they were outplayed with both bat and ball and thoroughly out manoeuvred by Hampshire skipper Shane Warne.

With the hosts eight down going into the third day of this rain ravaged game, Kent’s captain Rob Key would have hoped to quickly wrap up the Hampshire innings and end the day with a slight lead.

As it was, Hampshire were allowed to add a further 85 runs in taking their total to 271, after which Kent put in a fairly shoddy batting display to limp into the close on 195 for seven, still 76 in arrears.

With 142 overs already lost in the game and rain forecast for Saturday Kent appear to have a reasonable chance of escaping West End with a draw, but the reality is they have not played at their best.

In overcast bowling conditions on a dark brown and seamer friendly pitch Kent allowed Nic Pothas, Hampshire’s Greek unorthodox batsman and wicketkeeper, to farm the strike, steal the initiative and steer his side beyond a second batting bonus point.

He lost ninth wicket Partner James Bruce for 17, when he worked across the line to Min Patel, but only after the pair had added a valuable 75 against some wayward and pretty benign Kent bowling.

In all Pothas batted 252 minutes and moved into the 90s by slogging a full-length ball from Robbie Joseph for six over long on but, in trying to repeat the shot later in the over, became last man out to a well judged catch in the deep by Darren Stevens

With seven overs to negotiate before Lunch, Kent made the worst of starts when David Fulton, pushing slightly away from the body, nibbled Bruce’s second delivery into the hands of Warne at slip.

Warne was doing his utmost to unsettle the Kent batsmen and, in playing a few mind games, set some extraordinary fields with Dimitri Mascarenhas bowling to Kent’s second wicket partners with three slips, a gully, short mid-off, short extra-cover, short leg and short mid-wicket.

It all paid dividends three overs after the interval, when van Jaarsveld uncharacteristically tossed away his wicket by flat-batting a loose delivery from Dimitri Mascarenhas into the hands of Dominic Thornely at point.

Key and Matthew Walker appeared to be mounting a recovery in adding 42 for the third wicket but, with his score on 28, Key chopped on against Billy Taylor – the ball appearing to keep a shade low.

Having got off the mark by edging through the slip cordon for four, Walker appeared more settled than most until an unfortunate concentration lapse led to his downfall.

Clearly upset by a late public address announcement pronouncing that Sean Ervine was to come on at the pavilion end as he in fact ran in to bowl, Walker stepped away and a dead ball signalled.

But Ervine then bowled a legitimate delivery, his first of the day, which Walker hopelessly mistimed to mid-off where Mascarenhas caught a stunning over the shoulder catch having first parried the ball up twice while on the run.

Stevens, who scored a century here last summer, looked in good form in reaching double figures with a rasping straight drive but he then attempted to cut a wide one from Ervine and edged to Warne at slip.

Justin Kemp strode out and survived a first ball chance when Thornely downed an overhead catch at gully that resulted in two runs, but the South African was to perish 14 runs later and having just taken Kent past the follow-on figure of 122.

Warne, clearly plotting to use the rough outside leg stump, gave the ball plenty of air and invited Kemp to sweep him against the spin.

Kemp duly took the bait and, after middling two, missed a third attempt at a paddle to be bowled around his legs for 16 – victory was Warne’s.

The Hampshire skipper took himself out of the attack soon after, allowing Andrew Hall and Niall O’Brien to retaliate with a bright and breezy stand of 64 in 20 overs.

It was easily Kent’s best spell of a disappointing day, but Warne still had the final say in having O’Brien caught at point off a sliced drive five overs from the close.

Scorecard

Hampshire first innings

J H K Adams b Hall 0
M A Carberry b Hall 17
M J Brown c Kemp b Cook 0
J P Crawley c O’Brien b Joseph 43
D J Thornely c O’Brien b Stevens 13
S M Ervine lbw b Stevens 12
N Pothas c Stevens b Joseph 96
A D Mascarenhas c O’Brien b Cook 34
S K Warne c Kemp b Joseph 9
J T A Bruce b Patel 17
B V Taylor not out 0

Extras 30

Total 271 all out after 95.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-0, 3-2, 3-38, 4-72, 5-92, 6-108, 7-156, 8-171, 9-246

Bowling: Hall 30-10-62-2, Cook 22-6-62-2, Kemp 5-1-13-0, Joseph 19.5-4-68-3, Stevens 17-5-35-2, Patel 2-0-10-1.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Warne b Bruce 0
R W T Key b Taylor 28
M van Jaarsveld c Thornely b Mascarenhas 15
M J Walker c Mascarenhas b Ervine 26
D I Stevens c Warne b Ervine 10
J M Kemp b Warne 16
A J Hall not out 46
N J O’Brien c Bruce b Warne 38
M M Patel not out 1

Extras 15

Total 195 for seven after 71 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-0, 2-27, 3-69, 4-92, 5-95, 6-125, 7-189,

Bowling: Bruce 14-1-42-1, Mascarenhas 13-4-27-1, Taylor 11-2-41-1, Thornely 8-4-17-1, Ervine 15-3-43-2, Warne 11-1-27-2.

Bonus points: Hampshire 4pts Kent 3pts.