County Championship: Tom Lammonby helps Somerset earn lead against Kent

Somerset's Tom Lammonby has now passed fifty 15 times for Somerset

Kent and Somerset look to be heading for a draw in their opening County Championship game of the season draw at Canterbury, after the visitors reached 374-7 at stumps to lead by 90 runs on day three.

Tom Lammonby hit 90 and Matt Renshaw 66 as the visitors survived an early evening wobble to overhaul Kent's first innings score of 284.

Kent spinner Matt Parkinson (2-116) and debutant George Garrett (2-61) were both among the wickets but a stand of 101 between James Rew (57) and Kasey Aldridge (50 not out) earned Somerset a potentially useful lead.

The draw always looked the most likely outcome after 119 overs were lost to the elements on days one and two, but if Kent were going to force the issue they needed to exploit the new ball and they could not.

Sean Dickson edged Wes Agar between second and third slip but failed to cash in, when he edged Garrett to Jack Leaning for 17, the only bright moment of an otherwise joyless morning session.

From 108-1 at lunch, Renshaw was then dropped on 58 off Parkinson when Joe Denly could not hold a diving chance at mid on.

But Parkinson broke through in his next over, conjuring a ball that pitched outside off and spun viciously back into Renshaw's middle stump, the only wicket of the afternoon session.

Parkinson's unbroken 25-over spell at least offered hope and, although he lobbed in the occasional bad ball, he always looked like making something happen and in the second over after tea he duped Lammonby into a swipe that was grabbed by Ben Compton at square leg.

A mini-collapse ensued as Tom Banton smacked Garrett for six but was caught behind next ball for 28 and Lewis Goldsworthy drove to extra cover for 35 before Lewis Gregory cut Agar to Daniel Bell-Drummond at 255-6. But Aldridge and Rew exploited some average fielding to push Somerset into the lead.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.