County Championship: Essex made to wait for win against Kent

Essex were looking likely to win with a day to spare but Harry Finch's century helped keep faint Kent hopes alive

Harry Finch batted for almost five hours in recording a valiant century as Kent denied Essex from claiming a County Championship victory inside three days.

The 28-year-old's 114, at a strike-rate of exactly 50, was his first ton since he compiled one two years ago against his former county Sussex and the fifth of a mercurial first-class career.

Essex, looking for a fourth successive win to put pressure on Championship leaders Surrey, endured a frustrating day in the field as Finch led the way in partnerships of 93 and 72 with Ben Compton (39) and Joey Evison (56 not out) for the second and sixth wickets.

Simon Harmer whirled away for 38 overs, taking three wickets for only 64 runs, but it was not enough to prevent Kent taking the match into a fourth day and ensuring Essex will have to bat again, Kent finishing the day on 265-7 - 14 runs ahead with three wickets in hand.

Essex had taken a wicket with the last ball of day two but had to wait until the 14th ball of the afternoon session on day three for the second.

It needed a spectacular one-handed diving catch at leg gully by Harmer off Paul Walter to end Compton's barnacle-like 122-ball innings.

Finch, playing only his second Championship game of the season, was by far the more aggressive player in that second-wicket stand and reached his half-century from 105 balls.

His second fifty was quicker, taking just 78 balls before raising his helmet to acknowledge the milestone.

Jack Leaning adopted the Compton mantle, batting for 42 balls before one kept low from Harmer and trapped him lbw for six.

The injured Jordan Cox emerged with Tawanda Muyeye as his runner. However, the helper was not required to move on Cox's behalf as the wicketkeeper was scoreless for 16 deliveries and remained motionless on his crease when Sam Cook appealed successfully for lbw.

Essex might have broken the stubborn fifth-wicket resistance between Finch and Evison much earlier.

Evison, on 10, received a double reprieve in the blink of an eye when dropped by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who then missed the potential stumping as Evison overbalanced. It was a miss that was to prove costly.

Essex tossed the new ball to Harmer after just three overs and with his third ball he struck as Finch swept loosely to Walter at short mid-wicket.

Joe Denly, batting despite suffering back spasms, felt his side as he on-drove his first ball for four, but only lasted another six deliveries before he turned Harmer into Alastair Cook's hands at slip.

Evison nudged a single to reach a 96-ball fifty before Grant Stewart hit consecutive boundaries to take Kent within a run of making Essex bat again.

However, he then tried to take them into the black with another boundary but only picked out long-off to give Matt Critchley a wicket.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.