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Sean Dickson and Zak Crawley impress for Kent against West Indies
00:00, 09 August 2017
updated: 16:12, 09 August 2017
Lightning and bad light denied Kent the chance to push for victory against the touring West Indies in a fine three-day display at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, this week.
The umpires ended the game on the third afternoon with the West Indies on 132-4 – a lead in the match of just 66 runs.
Sean Dickson had hit his fourth first class century and debutant Zak Crawley scored his first senior 50 as Kent secured a first-innings lead of 66 on day two.
Dickson, who scored a treble-hundred at Beckenham last month, marched to three figures from 157 balls with 15 fours and two sixes.
The pair combined to post a record 182 for Kent’s second wicket but while Dickson took the plaudits with 142, 19-year-old Crawley cut an impressive figure as Kent passed the tourists’ modest total of 265 all out.
The teenager posted a 94-ball 50 before he was superbly caught at slip for 62 off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph but said: “I felt comfortable batting with Sean and to put on 180-odd was excellent and a nice way to start my first-class career.
Dickson said: “I enjoyed watching Zak. He’s a remarkable player, Kent-grown and it will only build for him from here. I’m excited to see where he goes from here.
“From my side, I knuckled down, faced as many balls as I could and I said to Zak ‘we’re not going to get a chance like this again'.
“I’d like to be playing T20 but I had a chat to Walks and the only real way I was going to play was if a batter goes down with an injury. I asked to stay in red-ball for this exact reason. If I’m not going to get in I’m not going to waste my time hitting white balls, I’d rather stay with red-ball.”
Captain Sam Billings made 25 before being run out by Shai Hope and the tourists fought back with Dickson departing to a fine catch on the long-off boundary by Joseph off the bowling of leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
Calum Haggett ended unbeaten on 29 after a blow to the hand in a gritty knock before Sam Billings declared in the final over of the day on 331-9.
Charlie Hartley celebrated his Kent recall with career-best figures of 4-80 as the home side made West Indies toil on the opening day, with spinner Adam Riley claiming his first first-class wicket in nearly two years, on his first appearance for 12 months.