Kent 228 for six - trail Yorkshire by 82

KENT’S Simon Cook continued to enjoy his first team re-call up in Leeds where the visitors made 228 for six before rain stopped play on day two of their Liverpool Victoria Championship clash with Yorkshire.

Playing in his first championship match since mid-May, Cook took Kent-best figures of five for 36 on the opening day and followed that by scoring a Kent-best 71 after impressing in his role as night watchman.

Cook, who came to the crease on Wednesday night after the early loss of David Fulton, cantered past his previous best score for Kent of 38 to get Kent off to a steady start in their response to Yorkshire’s first innings total of 310.

In tandem with his skipper Rob Key the 29-year-old former Middlesex seamer helped add 80 in 23 overs for the second wicket despite testing, overcast conditions and the wiles of former Australian Test bowler Jason Gillespie.

Cook’s fun should have ended with his score on 33 when, after hesitation over a single to extra cover, he ended up having to dive full-length to make his ground and was still thankful Gillespie’s throw missed the stumps.

The stand ended after an hour-and-a-half when Key went to the military medium-pace seamers of Anthony McGrath, who nipped one back off the seam to grub one through Key’s gate and peg back off stump.

He was replaced by Martin van Jaarsveld, who might have gone without troubling the scorers when padding up to a googlie from young leg-spinner Adil Rashid that turned into him and just cleared middle stump.

In Rashid’s next over Cook moved to his maiden half-century for Kent with a straight drive for his eighth four. He reached the milestone from 72 balls.

He celebrated the feat with a straight six in Rashid’s next over that doubled Cook’s aggregate number of runs for the season.

The re-introduction of Gideon Kruis eventually ended Cook’s 101-ball stay when he feathered an attempted pull shot through to wicketkeeper Simon Guy after hitting nine fours and a six in the second highest innings of his career.

Needing just nine runs for his 1,000 runs, Matt Walker scored only six from 34 balls either side of lunch before he instinctively followed a lifting leg-cutter from Kruis and edged to second slip to make it 151 for four.

Fifth-wicket partners van Jaarsveld and Darren Stevens bought up the first batting bonus point and added 62, before England Under-19 spinner Rashid.

Stevens (31) went leg before after missing a pre-determined sweep shot and then Dwayne Bravo padded up to the next delivery to also go leg before, though the ball may well have gone on to miss off stump.

Geraint Jones then came in to quench the joint leg-spin threat of Rashid and Mark Lawson and cut Kent’s deficit to 82 runs until rain stopped play just after 3pm.

SCORECARD

Yorkshire first innings

C White b Khan 3
J J Sayers c Stevens b Khan 9
A McGrath c van Jaarsveld b Bravo 41
M J Lumb c Walker b Cook 15
D S Lehmann c Fulton b Patel 172
A Rashid lbw b Cook 10
S M Guy c Jones b Cook 4
J N Gillespie c Walker b Patel 4
M A K Lawson c van Jaarsveld b Cook 21
S A Patterson c van Jaarsveld b Cook 0
G J Kruis not out 9

Extras 22

Total 310 all out after 92.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-10, 2-25, 3-64, 4-92, 5-128, 6-136, 7-166, 8-228, 9-244.

Bowling: Khan 17-1-50-2, Henderson 21-1-118-0, Cook 20-5-36-5, Bravo 8-0-40-1, Patel 18.5- 3-38-2, Stevens 8-0-25-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c McGrath b Kruis 6
R W T Key b McGrath 40
S J Cook c Guy b Kruis 71
M van Jaarsveld not out 59
M J Walker c McGrath b Kruis 6
D I Stevens lbw b Rashid 31
D Bravo lbw b Rashid 0
G O Jones not out 8

Extras 7

Total 228 for six after 59 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-13, 2-93, 3-136, 4-151, 5-213, 6-213,

Bowling: Gillespie 18-6-48-0, Kruis 17-5-39-3, Rashid 10-1-44-2, Patterson 3-0-21-0, McGrath 13-2-45-1, Lawson 6-0-26-0.

Bonus points: Yorkshire 5pts Kent 4pts.

* Mark Pennell's day three report will appear here at the close of play on Friday.