Following day one of cricket elsewhere in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Kent came into the second day’s play against Gloucestershire knowing that their hopes of promotion was very much in their own hands.

They needed to equal or better Northamptonshire’s result at Middlesex or reach four hundred in one hundred and ten overs, and avoid defeat.

Having bowled Gloucestershire out for 229 on day one, Kent started the second day on 71 for 1, and in a strong position. However, they got off to the worst possible start when Sam Northeast was dismissed off the first ball when he was squared up and caught at gulley off James Langridge for 27. That brought Tawanda Muyeye out to join Ben Compton who started the day on 33. They took the score up to 97 before Langridge claimed his second scalp, with Muyeye trapped LBW for 11.

Compton, having been joined by Daniel Bell-Drummond who survived a very hard chance on nought, continued to hold his end up and reached his half century from 93 deliveries including six boundaries. Their fifty partnership came up off 74 balls and they went in for lunch on 186 for 3 with Compton on 76 and Bell-Drummond 44.

After the interval, Bell-Drummond brought up his fifty from eighty balls including ten fours, and Kent’s two hundred was reached at the same time. The hosts’ captain fell soon after the partnership had raised one hundred. He was on 55, when he tried to be aggressive but dragged to midwicket and was caught. Chris Benjamin then came in and stroked a glorious cover to surpass the visitors’ first innings score before he also perished to the spin bowling of Sai Kishore having scored 21. 

Next man in was Ekansh Singh, and three boundaries in an over from him took Kent to their first batting bonus point. He increased the run rate without taking risks before edging a ball that left him to be caught by Miles Hammond who was keeping wicket instead of the injured James Bracey. During his partnership with Singh, Compton completed his century from 203 balls including eleven boundaries.

Matt Milnes didn’t last long but Keith Dudgeon added support before Compton was caught behind for 126 to bring up the tea interval. In all, he batted for 375 minutes, faced 244 balls and hit fourteen fours. At tea, Kent were 326 for 8 with Dudgeon 17 not out.

Matt Quinn came out with Dudgeon for the evening session and they took the score to 347 before the former was out for 12. Dudgeon then tried to farm the strike as much as possible and took the score beyond 350 before Khaled Ahmed was exposed to the bowling and was dismissed without scoring. Kent ended on 353 with Dudgeon unbeaten on 31. Langridge was the most successful bowler with 3 for 53 while Che Simmons, Daz Ahmed and Kishore took two wickets each.

Starting with a deficit, of 124, Joe Phillips was dismissed first ball of the second knock, caught by Muyeye at third slip off Milnes. That was the fast bowler’s fiftieth Championship wicket of an outstanding season. It took 28 balls for the visitors to put runs on the board as Milnes and Matt Quinn beat the bat time after time. Milnes then struck again when sending Ollie Price’s middle stump cartwheeling and the Gloucestershire opener was out for 9.

Tommy Boorman had an escape when dropped by Singh off Dudgeon’s first delivery. That scare appeared to put him off playing any enterprising strokes as he did not score another run in the next thirteen overs before he got a thick edge for four.

The important thing, as far as he was concerned, is that he survived until the close. In order to get the last over of the day bowled, the umpires insisted on a spinner coming on and Muyeye bowled it. The visitors finished on 61 for 2 with Hammond unbeaten on 33, and Boorman, 11.