Just three wickets fell on the second day of Kent second elevens three day friendly with Essex twos.

On the first day, Kent put on 223 for the first wicket as both openers, Jayden Denly and Ekansh Singh scored centuries. They went on to finish the day on 406 for 8 with Mohammed Rizvi 21 not out.

Rizvi continued where he left off when day two started and Oliver Butterfill joined him, scoring 26 from 27 deliveries in an entertaining partnership of 87. Butterfill’s knock ended when trapped LBW by Nav Dwivedi.

Bexley’s Harry Dowling then came out to support Rizvi who farmed the strike as he eased his way to Kent’s third ton of the innings. He finished on 106 not out from 115 balls and his knock included fifteen fours and one six.

Dowling faced 47 deliveries for his six not out as Kent declared on 530 for 9 from 110 overs.

Corey Flintoff (son of former England cricketer Andrew) and Dowling then took the new ball and found it equally difficult on a benign surface described by Dowling as “concrete”.

Nick Browne and Charlie Allinson aped the Kent opening pair by both scoring centuries. Their opening partnership was worth 211 before Rizvi removed Allinson, bowled for 120 from 148 deliveries including eleven fours and seven sixes. 

One of his sixes went into the hedge at the end of the ground and two fielders also disappeared into it to search for the ball. They came back eventually, but the ball was not seen again. Another unusual incident occurred when Allinson was struck by Dowling, causing the umpires such confusion that he ended bowling a seven ball over.

Browne, the Essex captain, took a little longer to score his hundred and took a blow to the head when hit by a Singh bouncer on the way. He was eventually clean bowled by Singh for exactly 100 from 168 balls with fourteen fours. 

Bad light brought the day’s cricket to a premature end with Essex on 280 for 2. Robin Das will re start on 27 not out, and South African Luc Benkenstein on 29 not out.  

Unless there are some imaginative declarations on the final day, it is very likely that the match will meander into a draw which, being a friendly, is the probable outcome.