Kent turn the tables in grand style as Surrey face prospect of first defeat

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Kent turn the tables in grand style as Surrey face prospect of first defeat


Kent 301 and 197-for-6 (Muyeye 79, Bell-Drummond 59) lead Surrey 145 (Quinn 3-22, Hagar 3-32) for 353 runs

Leaders Surrey were fighting hard to avoid their first defeat of the season in the LV=Insurance County Championship, taking six wickets in the final session after Kent had built a significant lead on day two at Canterbury.

The champions were all out for 145 in their first innings with Matt Quinn taking three for 22 and Wes Agar three for 32, while India’s Arshdeep Singh took his first Championship wicket. Sean Abbott was their leading scorer with 34.

Tawanda Muyeye then hit a joyous 79 and Daniel Bell-Drummond made 59 as Kent moved to 197 for six in their second innings, a lead of 353, but a productive afternoon session gave the visitors hope to start the third day, Dan Worrall claimed three for 53

The 171st Canterbury Week continued at the Spitfire Ground and a crowd of 2,431 turned out on the second day, bolstered by around 1,100 schoolchildren and teachers, although the start was delayed by 45 minutes due to a brief but violent thunderstorm.

As play began, Surrey, who hit 18 from two overnight, batted with minimal conviction.

Tom Latham was on three when Quinn had Muyeye catch him on short leg and Quinn struck again when Jordan Cox made an acrobatic catch to remove Dom Sibley for 9.

Arshdeep was rewarded for a period of sustained threat with his first wicket in county cricket when he had Ben Foakes lbw for three and Quinn and Muyeye then produced an almost exact wicket imitation of Latham to throw off Jamie Smith for 6.

Surrey reeled to 60 for six at lunch and had not added to the score when Agar bowled Will Jacks with the tenth ball of the afternoon session, with a delivery that made his medium stump pirouette.

Jordan Clark and Abbott rode the largest innings stand with 48 for the eighth wicket, until both were dismissed by Joey Evison. Clark stayed for 25 before Evison hit his leg side bail and Abbott went for 34 in Evison’s next over, following a one-handed catch from Cox.

The Dans, Worrall and Moriarty, added 20 for the last wicket until the former tried to hit Singh, who tore the stump out of his leg, leaving Surrey seven short of the follow-on target, albeit with 57 overs remaining and St. Lawrence experiencing sweltering conditions, it came as no surprise that Kent decided not to apply it.

It was 37 not lost at tea, and although Clark made the breakthrough with his first ball, getting Atkinson to catch Compton for 17 on point, Muyeye began to put on a display.

He made it to 50 by cutting Abbott for four, but not for the first time in his career he went down as a century was looking to take when Atkinson struck Latham.

It was a huge disappointment for most of the crowd and a group of wickets followed.

Denly went for six to Worrall who was grabbed by a diving Foakes, Worrall produced an unplayable outswinger to dispose of Jack Leaning for one and Cox was on two when he hit Abbott behind.

Bell-Drummond then fell in almost identical fashion, leaving Evison and Hamid Qadri to beat the rest of an almost endless session, which finally ended at 7:37pm.