da dobrowin： Kent will go into the final day of their Championship dual against Essex at Chelmsford with a lead of 283 with five second-innings wickets remaining
12-May-2010Kent 474 and 150 for 5 Essex 341
Scorecard
Tom Westley held the Essex innings together with 132•Getty Images
Kent will go into the final day of their Championship dual against Essex at Chelmsford with a lead of 283 with five second-innings wickets remaining.After Essex had been bowled out for 341 to leave their opponents with anadvantage of 133, the visitors reached the close on 150 for 5 in their secondinnings. Tom Westley’s 132, which equalled his career best, provided the backbone of theEssex innings after they had begun the day needing to reach 325 to avoidfollowing on.They largely succeeded in that quest through the efforts of Westley and Ryanten Doeschate, despite some fine bowling by paceman Azhar Mahmood who went on toclaim five for 63 in 25.2 overs.After James Foster was caught at slip with only four added to the overnighttotal of 172 for 4, Westley and Ten Doeschate were to revive Essex with astand of 115 before it was broken just after lunch. Makhaya Ntini ended it by trapping Ten Doeschate lbw for 66 that included eightfours and a six.When Westley’s superb effort, spanning six-and-a-quarter hours, was ended by abrilliant diving catch by Joe Denly at mid-off, an innings that included 19boundaries, Essex were still 22 short of avoiding the follow-on with only twowickets left.But a few belligerent strokes by David Masters banished such fears beforeMahmood removed Chris Wright and Danish Kaneria to complete his five-wickethaul. When Kent set out to build upon their sizeable lead, they contrived to giftwickets to their opponents.Denly was needlessly run out when called through for a single by Robert Key,who then put up a simple catch to Masters at mid-on. Wright did produce a good delivery to have Martin Jaarsveld taken at first slip by Alastair Cook, but then Geraint Jones managed to pull a long hop into the hands of Billy Godleman at mid-wicket.Kent then lost their fifth wicket when Darren Stevens was removed lbw byKaneria with a delivery that kept low, but 20-year-old Sam Northeast survived toreach the close just one run short of his second half century of the match -although not without a degree of good fortune.He was involved in a controversial incident shortly before the close when TimPhillips dived forward to hold what he believed to be a return catch. However,after umpires David Millns and Nigel Cowley had consulted, the batsman was giventhe benefit of the doubt. Then in the final over of the day, Northeast was put down at first slip when Cook failed to accept an easy chance.