Darren Stevens dominated Glamorgan’s bowlers on day two of Kent’s latest County Championship game, hitting a rapid 190 to give his side the upper hand on a historical day in Canterbury.
Stevens, who arrived at the crease with Kent 80/5, saw his side slip to 128/8, so decided to take matters into his own hands. In an innings featuring 15 fours and 15 sixes, the 45-year-old decimated the Glamorgan attack in a record-breaking partnership with number 10 Miguel Cummins on a historical day in Canterbury.
After a rain-impacted day one, play got underway on time on Friday with Kent continuing on 70/2, but Glamorgan struck in the first 15 minutes with Australian international Michael Neser dismissing Jack Leaning LBW for two.
The wicket brought club captain Sam Billings to the crease, returning after quarantine following arrival back from the Indian Premier League, but batting continued to prove challenge in cloudy, windy conditions. Neser struck again with a neat delivery that jagged back into Jordan Cox, bowling the Kent opener for 27 to leave the Spitfires in a bit of trouble at 78/4.
New man Daniel Bell-Drummond was in at six in a new position, down from opening the batting throughout 2020 and the start of 2021. The move didn’t benefit him though – he was soon out LBW, also to Neser, without scoring, leaving Kent reeling at 80/5.
Things didn’t improve for the home side as captain Billings was LBW to Timm van der Gugten for 11 just after a neat cut for four, leaving his side 84/6 and in real danger of posting a poor score.
Kent were 14/4 for the day at the fall of Billings’ wicket, and they were awarded a reprieve when David Lloyd dropped number eight Marcus O’Riordan at second slip off van der Gugten on zero.
The seamer had his man soon after though, caught behind without scoring to secure figures of 4/7 at that stage, with Kent in deep trouble.
Darren Stevens however, in at seven, didn’t want to mess around, and he pulled Michael Hogan for six as Kent’s score passed 100. The partnership between he and Nathan Gilchrist was soon over though when the latter was wrapped on the pads by Neser, who picked up his fourth wicket of the innings.
Stevens continued to attack though and pulled Dan Douthwaite for a maximum to edge towards 50, and he brought his half century up off the penultimate ball before lunch, coming off just 61 balls and including six fours and two sixes.
The all-rounder carried on where he left off after the interval, flicking another six off his pads before a gorgeous effort down the ground for another maximum saw the ball lost and a replacement needed.
A six and a four from Stevens brought up the 50 partnership between he and Cummins – the latter having contributed just one to that total.
Glamorgan introduced spin for the first time, but Stevens didn’t let Andrew Salter settle and thumped a leg-side six second ball and another fourth ball, taking his six total to seven for the innings and to move into the 90s.
And he didn’t stop. A powerful four brought up Stevens’ second ton of the season off just 92 balls, with nine fours and sevens sixes registered.
And if anything, the 100 encouraged Stevens further. Two more sixes took him to 11 for the innings and onto 125 runs as the 100 partnership between he and Cummins was brought up. Cummins’ contribution remained at one.
Marnus Labuschagne dropped Stevens in the deep when he was on 136, and Billy Root dropped him over the rope on the leg-side boundary not long after. Stevens punished the mistakes with another six to go back-to-back, and brought up his 150 off 117 balls, featuring 11 fours and 13 sixes, with an easy single.
He continued to dominate, bringing up the 150 partnership with his 15th six of the innings off Labuschagne, and the duo passed Kent’s record ninth wicket stand of 158 against Glamorgan soon after. Still, Cummins’ contribution was one.
Stevens eventually departed for 190, caught in the deep off Labuschange, but Kent reached 300 when number 11 Matt Quinn hammered his first ball for six.
Cummins was then bowled by Labuschagne for seven as Kent’s innings ended; 307 all out, majorly thanks to Darren Stevens.
Glamorgan’s innings got off to the worst possible start when David Lloyd was LBW to Matt Quinn for four off the 13th ball of the innings, bringing the third-ranked test batsman Marnus Labuschagne to the middle.
Labuschagne hit nine off the first over he faced from Stevens, but the all-rounder had his revenge soon after, wrapping the Australian on the pads to see him on his way for 11. Potentially close on impact, but that won’t matter to Stevens or Kent.
The hosts continued to push as Quinn beat the inside edge of new batsman Billy Root, but Root and Cooke marshalled the rest of the evening well despite a break in play for bad light. Glamorgan closed on 55/2, 252 runs behind Kent’s total.
Rain is forecast for most day three, but Kent are in a strong position in the match, thanks mainly to one man.
Kent’s Darren Stevens said at the end of a truly epic day: “We were in a tough situation and all I was worried about was trying to hit a boundary in the first couple of balls, or those first three balls and then get off strike. I thought they did it poorly really, I thought they could have brought a man in. We got into a bit of a routine, a bit of a rhythm, it actually worked quite well for a few overs and I’ve probably got us into quite a good situation.”
“I tried to use the wind as much as I could because it was tough out there. I tried to use it to our advantage. As long as I got it aerial and high I thought the wind would take it with it, that was my thought process, when I was batting at the pavilion end. When I was at the Nackington Road it was a little bit different because they were bowling wider. I played one when I tried to flick it leg side and I got dropped at slip I think and then I thought about hitting the sight screen and I thought if I can hit the sight screen and they come straighter then fine. It was a game of two halves really.”
“I’ve had a bit of a niggle, it’s been a bit of a pain in my left hamstring so I’ve been struggling to get forward but since the Sussex game I’ve had a good four or five days off when I’ve not done anything and I’ve rested it a little bit, so I felt a little bit better yesterday in the nets. I got here early had a good hit this morning and felt great. It’s been frustrating getting out cheaply in the last couple of weeks but I feel that’s got me going again.”
On the crowd: “It was good just to get bums on seats, it feels like a proper game now, where the last year or so, I know they’ve been first class games but it’s not felt the same, it’s felt a little bit like a pre-season game. The lads said to me ‘Oh the crowds come in and you show up, don’t you!’ I’ve had six, eight innings where I’ve not really got any runs. To get 190 is just remarkable really and I’m just pleased I’ve got us into a good situation and hopefully we’ll bowl well tomorrow.”
On whether Marnus Labuschagne is his bunny: “I’ll take it mate, we’ll leave it at that.”
On his team mates’ reaction: “There were a couple of words flying around like freak. It’s nice. Bilbo (Sam Billings) has just done a nice little speech there. I’ve played a few knocks like this, there’s a few young faces, newcomers to the side that have not seen me play as well and there were a few rumours flying around about how I do play so they’re just really pleased to see it and I’m pleased to perform and get us in a great position.”
On his late father: “The old man, I’ll tell you, I don’t shy away from stuff like this… like the game up at Northants, I got pretty emotional, I had to pull out a few times. You know I miss him, we all miss him, having a bench down here and having a coffee with him every morning, but yeah he’s looking down on me and he will be for a long time.”
Glamorgan assistant coach David Harrison told BBC Sport Wales:
“Darren played well very there as he’s done numerous times in the past against numerous teams- unfortunately for us after a really good morning with the ball he took a few risks and it came off.”
“The way the boys bowled to get them 120-odd for eight was outstanding but Darren Stevens got the better of us.”
“It can be hard because he got some good shots away and then it all happened very quickly, we missed a couple of chances in the outfield but fair play it was an exceptional innings.”
“I’ve never known a day to be so windy but credit to players of both teams who got on with it, it was gloomy with rain in the air so to get to 55-2 was a good effort.”