County Championship: Sam Billings breaks catching record as Kent beat Warwickshire at Edgbaston

Sam Billings had previously taken nine dismissals in a match for Kent, against Worcestershire in 2016

Kent captain Sam Billings set a new County Championship record of 12 catches in the match as his side beat Warwickshire to ease their Division One relegation fears at Edgbaston.

The England wicketkeeper added five more to his seven in the first innings as Kent bowled out the Bears for 147 to win by 177 runs on the final morning.

Billings broke the previous Kent record of 10 dismissals in a match - set by Fred Huish against Surrey at The Oval in 1911 and Jack Hubble, against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in 1923.

Seven keepers had previously taken 11 dismissals in a match, Surrey's Arnold Long being the first of them against Sussex back in 1964.

Yorkshire's David Bairstow, the late father of England star Jonny, Lancashire's Warren Hegg, Surrey pair Alec Stewart and Jonathan Batty, former Warwickshire treble winner Keith Piper and, most recently, Derbyshire's Harvey Hosein are the other six.

Kent's second win of the season lifts them to sixth, 10 points clear now of reigning champions Warwickshire, whose fourth loss in 10 games this season leaves them looking increasingly uncomfortable.

The Bears have now slipped to eighth in the top flight, just 12 points ahead of Somerset and with a game fewer to play, going into Monday's daunting meeting with leaders Surrey at The Oval.

Since two-division cricket commenced in England in 2000, there have been four occasions when the county champions have been relegated the following season - 2001 champions Yorkshire in 2002, 2005 champions Nottinghamshire in 2006, 2011 champions Lancashire in 2012 and, most recently, 2016 winners Middlesex, in 2017.

• Live text commentary of County Championship day four

Having been rocked back by the 189-run fifth-wicket stand between Joe Denly and Jordan Cox on day three, Warwickshire resumed on 28-2 in pursuit of their unlikely victory target of 325, having already lost Alex Davies and Chris Benjamin the night before.

Bears top run scorer Sam Hain quickly perished, becoming the first to test Billings' gloves when he edged Navdeep Saini.

Home skipper Will Rhodes then came in to share a stand of 35 in 13 overs with discarded England opener Dom Sibley.

But, when Matt Quinn came on and found Rhodes' edge, and Billings' gauntlets, with his third ball, that triggered the loss of the final seven wickets for just 61 runs in 91 balls.

Billings accounted for both Dan Mousley and Michael Burgess, off Quinn and Matt Milnes respectively, before the unlucky Sibley played on to Milnes.

Danny Briggs and Craig Miles were then both out caught and bowled, before Oliver Hannon-Dalby was last man out, caught at slip off Milnes, to leave the Kent seamer with figures of 4-10 and Henry Brookes high and dry on 27 - and the Bears snookered on 147.

• Listen to the Bears post-match verdict on BBC Radio WM

Warwickshire first team coach Mark Robinson:

"We couldn't break the Denly/Cox partnership and, after that, the game accelerated away from us. The lead got too big on a wicket that always had a bit in it.

"We had windows of opportunity. We should have bowled them out for under 100 in the first innings having got them 43-5. Then we were 122-3 and relatively calm, then suddenly lost three wickets quickly.

"Cricket is a simple game. It's about who can do the basics for the longest and who can maintain pressure on the opposition for the longest. We've had some pretty flat wickets this year and the last two, at the Rose Bowl and this one, have had a bit more for the bowlers so your batting group comes under pressure.

"The league table doesn't lie. What's happening doesn't lie. What people can't see behind the scenes is all the thought and the effort that goes in and the hurt that the players are feeling. In both the last two games they have committed a lot and it's just not been enough."

Kent head coach Matt Walker told BBC Radio Kent:

"That felt like a Kent side of old. The quality through those two-and-a-half days was brilliant. It felt like a real team performance with some real key moments that we had to win and we did.

"I am thrilled with the result and that performance. It was a tough week against Northants last week where we felt we let the game slip through our fingers on the last day.

"Our first day's batting didn't quite go to plan but our response after that over the next three days was outstanding.

"You can't just want to win and that's enough. You have got to put the things in place and I was really impressed with the way the boys went about their work."

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