Lancashire won by six wickets

INJURY-HIT Kent battled hard but ultimately fell to a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Lancashire inside three action-packed days at sunny Old Trafford.

Some 14 wickets fell in Friday’s first two sessions as Kent wrapped up the Lancashire first innings in double time by taking their last seven wickets for 56 runs in the space of 25 overs.

But then all Kent’s good work was undone when they were skittled out themselves for 124 inside 47 overs with Geraint Jones last man out just after 5.15pm.

Left-arm spinner Gary Keedy bagged four for 44 and England Test hopeful Sajid Mahmood four for 24 as Kent’s last three wickets fell in five balls.

Acting captain Min Patel, unable to bowl in this match after picking up a groin strain, bravely came into bat at No11 in a bid to take the game into its final day, but Mahmood bagged two in three balls then Keedy pegged back Jones’s middle stump for a battling 60.

Lancashire were left with 24 overs in the day to chase the 89 they needed to win, but even then there were a few twists and turns along the way as the day’s wicket count rose to 21.

The hosts lost Ian Sutcliffe (27) with 59 on the board then Mal Loye (14) with only 22 required and, just six short of victory, stoic skipper Chilton missed a back foot force to go for 33 and give James Tredwell a third wicket.

In the next over Stuart Law (4) turned an off-spinner from Darren Stevens into the hands of David Fulton at short leg, but sanity prevailed when Paul Horton scored the winning run with 10 balls of the day remaining.

Friday's first session belonged firmly to Kent, however, as they ran through the red rose middle order with surprising ease.

Fourth wicket partners Chilton and Horton took their partnership beyond 150 while Chilton moved onto a career-best 131 in a shade over six-and-a-half hours.

It was never pretty to watch yet it was mightily effective and, when Horton’s demise finally sparked a collapse - he edged to second slip for 79 - the value of their stand became even more apparent.

Chilton’s marathon ended when he played across an off-cutter from Neil Dexter that kept a shade low to trap him leg before.

In the same over, a double wicket maiden, Dexter had Glen Chapple caught at second slip as the momentum built in Kent’s favour.

Dexter then held a diving chance at cover to account for Sutton and left-handed Tom Smith bottom edged an attempted cut off Simon Cook for Jones to take a good tumbling catch.

To give the bowling figures an even look to them, Tredwell then took the last two wickets to ensure each of Kent’s frontline bowlers finished with two wickets apiece.

Kent, shorn of three injured pace bowlers as well Patel and overseas all-rounder Andrew Hall, left the field feeling happy with their lot.

But within three hours Lancashire were batting again and in hot pursuit of a deserved victory that they completed just before 7pm.

SCORECARD

Kent won toss and elected to bat

Kent first innings:

D P Fulton st Sutton b Keedy 40
N J Dexter c Chapple b Keedy 34
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Mahmood 87
M J Walker c Law b Keedy 41
D I Stevens lbw b Keedy 10
G I Jones c Horton b Hogg 29
J M Kemp not out 54
J C Tredwell c Chilton b Hogg 2
M M Patel c Hogg b Mahmood 8
S J Cook lbw b Mahmood 6
R H Joseph run out (Horton) 4

Extras 12

Total 327 all out after 114.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-69, 2-97, 3-187, 4-199, 5-237, 6-252, 7-258, 8-290, 9-305

Bowling: Mahmood 24.3-4-71-3, Chapple 26-6-59-0, Smith 20-5-59-0, Hogg 17-5-59-0, Keedy 28-5-71-4.

Lancashire first innings:

M J Chilton lbw b Dexter 131
I J Sutcliffe c Jones b Cook 5
M B Loye c Kemp b Joseph 44
S G Law c van Jaarsveld b Kemp 39
P J Horton c van Jaarsveld b Joseph 79
L D Sutton c Dexter b Kemp 11
G Chapple c van Jaarsveld b Kemp 0
K W Hogg not out 19
T C Smith c Jones b Cook 0
S I Mahmood c sub (Cusden) b Tredwell 4
G Keedy c Walker b Tredwell 4

Extras 27

Total 363 all out after 121.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-8, 2-94, 3-154, 4-307, 5-326, 6-326, 7-338, 8-343, 9-353

Bowling: Joseph 24-5-84-2, Cook 23-6-60-2, Tredwell 27.3-3-102-2, Kemp 24-3-63-2, Walker 1-1-0-0, Dexter 21-4-40-2.

Kent second innings:

D P Fulton c Horton b Mahmood 7
N J Dexter c Law b Mahmood 5
M van Jaarsveld b Keedy 15
M J Walker c Smith b Chapple 2
D I Stevens c Sutcliffe b Chapple 0
G O Jones b Keedy 60
J M Kemp lbw b Keedy 7
J C Tredwell lbw b Keedy 7
S J Cook b Mahmood 10
R H Joseph b Mahmood 0
M M Patel not out 0

Extras 11

Total 124 all out in 46.2 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-10, 2-17, 3-22, 4-26, 5-59, 6-79, 7-91, 8-120, 9-124

Bowling: Mahmood 11-2-24-4, Chapple 10-5-13-2, Smith 7-1-20-0, Keedy 13.2-3-44-4, Hogg 5-0-12-0

Lancashire second innings:

M J Chilton b Tredwell 33
I J Sutcliffe c Dexter b Tredwell 27
M B Loye c sub (Willis) b Tredwell 14
S G Law c Fulton b Stevens 4
P J Horton not out 5
L D Sutton not out 1

Extras 5

Total 89 for four after 22.2 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-59, 2-77, 3-83, 4-83

Bowling: Joseph 7-2-18-0, Cook 6-0-31-0, Tredwell 7-1-34-3, Stevens 2.2-1-5-1.

Bonus points:: Lancashire 21pts, Kent 6pts.