Lancashire close on Kent win after Bohannon's 205
Josh Bohannon fell 26 runs short of his career-best 231
- Published
Vitality County Championship Division One, Spitfire County Ground, Canterbury (day three)
Kent 244 & 143-6: Compton 37; Williams 2-20
Lancashire 549-9 dec: Bohannon 205, Wells 150, Hurst 50; Garrett 3-89
Kent (1pt) trail Lancashire (7pts) by 162 runs with four second innings wickets remaining
Lancashire closed in on a huge victory over fellow County Championship Division One strugglers Kent after continuing their domination at Canterbury.
The Red Rose reduced the hosts to 143-6 at stumps on day three, leaving Kent trailing by 162, with Charlie Stobo and Beyers Swanepoel the not-out batters on 25 and 18 respectively.
Lancashire declared on 549-9, a lead of 305, with Josh Bohannon making 205 and Matty Hurst 50, while George Garrett claimed three for 89.
Will Williams and Tom Bailey then both took two wickets apiece to leave Kent six down at stumps.
Ben Compton was their highest scorer with 37 and the chances of them escaping with anything other than a heavy defeat are bleak.
The only question at the start of day three was how long Lancashire were going to bat for, with a lead of 158 already in the bank.
Bohannon reached his double-hundred with a pushed single off Matt Parkinson, the second of his first-class career reached off 367 balls, before his former team-mate finally got him out lbw with a ball that might have been going down the legside.
Hurst eased to 50 with a single off Joey Evison but was then stumped by Harry Finch when he tried to charge at Parkinson.
Garrett then took all three wickets after the interval, which at least prevented an onslaught, before Lancashire declared.
Kent’s reply did not start well as Williams had opener Marcus O’Riordan caught at first slip.
George Balderson struck next, pinning captain Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw for nine, while Compton always looked like being the key wicket but he inexplicably tried to slog Bailey and the ball flew up in the air off his bottom edge.
Williams sent Evison’s off stump flying, Bailey had Tawanda Muyeye caught behind for a six-ball duck and Finch lasted for 56 balls for 23 until Nathan Lyon had him caught at mid-on.
Swanepoel, who had been unable to bowl, came out with O’Riordan as a runner and caused confusion by running anyway, but he and Stobo at least managed to drop anchor for the final 11.4 overs to take the game to a final day.
Match report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.
Kent opener Ben Compton:
“The scores speak for themselves to be honest. I don’t think there’s any denying we’ve been completely outskilled in this match and probably the other matches too.
"We’ve been on the receiving end of an excellent blueprint on how to play four-day cricket. You make the most of the bowling conditions on the first day, get us out for a score that was probably a hundred shy at least and then there were three glorius days of sunshine and they made us toil.
“Everyone’s maintaining the highest levels of professionalism, we’re trying our very best but it boils down to the skill factor at the end of the day.”
Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein told BBC Radio Lancashire:
“We’ve obviously had a tough start in the Championship and a few who were short of runs, so it was nice for them to get stuck in. What was really pleasing was that when Wellsie and Bosh got in they really made it count.
“Cricket doesn’t hand anything to you on a plate. It’s great to see it happen but when you're going through a tough time you don’t know when that rot’s going to stop.
“On day one the weather was telling us to bat first but there was a little bit in there and I just thought we can try and use that as well as we can. We didn’t bowl well in the first session but we were excellent from then onwards."
