Yorkshire v Kent day four

Kent missed the chance to go to the top of the LV Championship Division 1 table after Yorkshire’s former England bowler Matthew Hoggard batted through the last hour to earn his relegation threatened side a draw.

Chasing 204 for victory from a minimum 51 overs, The Tykes reached 175-9 to deny Kent a first victory at North Marine Road since 1989.

Hoggard’s defiance meant Yorkshire took 12 points from the game, while injury-hit Kent travel home with only seven to show for their toils.

Chasing 204 for victory The Tykes lost their first four wickets inside 14 overs and had only Adam Lyth, who plays league cricket for Scarborough, to thank for any sustained resistance with a 78-ball 50.

Robbie Joseph’s new ball burst from the Pavilion End at North Marine Road accounted for Michael Vaughan (0) and Andrew Gale (9) then Amjad Khan and Ryan McLaren chipped in with the wickets of Anthony McGrath (3) and Jacques Rudolph (24) respectively.

Vaughan went after 14 balls after edging to Martin van Jaarsveld at second slip then Gale, walking across his stumps and aiming to leg, fell leg before to make it 13-2.

McGrath got an inside edge onto his pad against a Khan off-cutter which looped low to van Jaarsveld who took a comfortable slip catch.

Then dangerman Rudolph misjudged a late in-swinger from McLaren and shouldered arms only to see the ball knock back his off stump.

After tea Gerard Brophy (14) slogged wildly at the first ball of the innings from Darren Stevens to sky a catch to Martin Saggers at mid-on then Adil Rashid (0) fenced at a Stevens away-swinger to snick to James Tredwell at slip.

Khan took a second scalp by enticing Rana Naved (12) to hook a bouncer straight to McLaren at deep mid-wicket as Yorkshire went into the final hour of the game on 134-7, still needing 70 to win from the final 16 overs of the match.

Lyth’s stay ended with his score on 52 when he flashed outside off against Joseph to edge to Tredwell again at slip then, with 28 balls still remaining, Darren Gough clipped off the back foot against Khan only to pick Rob Key who took a spectacular one-handed catch to his right to make it 166-9.

With two overs remaining Ryan McLaren, bowling to a field of six slips and a short leg, had four balls left outside off stump and twice hit last man Deon Kruis on the pads without winning the lbw appeal.

Khan was given a near identical field for the final over of the match but Matthew Hoggard survived, finishing unbeaten on four after 50-balls of dogged defiance.

At the start of the day Kent batted on until 2.15pm in a spirited rearguard action that saw them reach 433 all out to set up the thrilling finish.

Kent lost Geraint Jones (25), van Jaarsveld (73) and McLaren (35) in the opening two-hour session and then James Tredwell (53) and Joseph (0) went after lunch with Rana Naved taking 4-86.

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