Match drawn

KENT travelled home from the south coast with 12 points from their Frizzell Championship draw with title rivals Hampshire but with a feeling of having shot themselves in the foot.

For two-and-a-half days of this match the win seemed Kent’s for the taking, but a battling first innings batting display by Hampshire all-rounders Andy Bichel, Nic Pothas and Sean Ervine coupled with two disappointing stints in the field from Kent meant the game ultimately ended in parity.

Set to chase 307 in a minimum 83 overs after Kent were rolled out for 185 in their second innings, Hampshire finished on 241 for eight, some 66 shy of their target.

Kent will pinpoint four missed chances on Sunday, coupled with a let off for Pothas just 11 overs from the end of the game as crucial moments in a game that, like the match ball, simply slipped from their grasp.

Pothas, fresh at the crease and with just three to his name, fenced at a rearing delivery from Amjad Khan that flew high to third slip. Justin Kemp parried the ball up and David Fulton, diving across from first slip had three attempts at catching the re-bound before the ball hit the turf.

Though Dimitri Mascarenhas was bowled by Andrew Hall with four overs remaining, the dropped catch had proved Kent’s last realistic grasp at victory and ensured they became the first side all season not to have won the game having previously won the toss and elected to bat.

Having lost their last three second-innings wickets in adding 32 to their overnight score, Kent set about dismissing the hosts in the remaining five hours of the game.

Hampshire initially made a decent fist of the run chase, but three wickets for Simon Cook and two for Khan made their sole ambition the draw.

Thereafter Kent’s seam attack beat the outside edge time and time again and received little or no support from the umpires for numerous leg-before appeals, but ultimately credit must go to Hampshire for batting out the draw on another minefield Rose Bowl pitch.

Special praise went to Pothas, who batted out the last hour-and-a-half for 15 runs to help the hosts save the game.

SCORECARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Brown b Mascarenhas 45
R W T Key c Brown b Udal 88
M van Jaarsveld c Watson b Mascarenhas 1
M J Walker c Brown b Tremlett 9
D I Stevens c Ervine b Mascarenhas 101
J Kemp lbw b Bichel 69
A J Hall b Bichel 23
N J O’Brien c Mascarenhas b Bichel 9
M M Patel not out 54
S J Cook c Pothas b Bichel 4
A Khan c&b Udal 33
Extras 10

Total 446 all out after 118 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-80, 2-90, 3-101, 4-201, 5-282, 6-336, 7-350, 8-357, 9-381.

Bowling: Bichel 27-3-122-4, Tremlett 22-1-78-1, Mascarenhas 25-8-77-3, Ervine 11-0-56-0, Watson 14-0-43-0, Udal 18-4-51-2, Lamb 1-0-9-0.

Hampshire first innings

M J Brown c O’Brien b Hall 19
S M Ervine lbw b Patel 74
J P Crawley c Stevens b Hall 24
S R Watson c Walker b Khan 16
J J McLean c O’Brien b Khan 0
N Pothas not out 74
G A Lamb c Hall b Kemp 8
A D Mascarenhas c O’Brien b Patel 4
A J Bichel c Hall b Cook 87
S D Udal lbw b Hall 2
C T Tremlet c Key b Patel 0
Extras 17

Total 325 all out after 84.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-33, 2-99, 3-138, 4-140, 5-144, 6-167, 7-172, 8-310, 9-314

Bowling: Khan 20-3-89-2, Cook 21-2-74-1, Hall 19-3-62-3, Stevens 4-0-29-0, Patel 11.4-4-28-3, Kemp 8-1-30-1.

Kent second innings

D P Fulton c Pothas b Mascarenhas 25
R W T Key lbw b Ervine 36
N J O’Brien c McLean b Mascarenhas 7
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Watson 24
M J Walker b Bichel 21
D I Stevens lbw b Watson 22
S J Cook c Crawley b Udal 0
J Kemp c Watson b Bichel 3
A J Hall c Watson b Bichel 31
M M Patel b Mascarenhas 1
A Khan not out 7
Extras 8

Total 185 all out after 50.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-37, 2-46, 3-76, 4-114, 5-140, 6-141, 7-141, 8-158, 9-159.

Bowling: Bichel 15.3-1-56-3, Watson 8-2-33-2, Mascarenhas 14-4-33-3, Tremlett 1-0-9-0, Ervine 5-0-29-1, 7-0-19-1.

Hampshire second innings

M J Brown c Fulton b Hall 11
S M Ervine c O’Brien b Kemp 69
J P Crawley b Khan 46
S R Watson c Fulton b Kemp 30
J J McLean c van Jaarsveld b Cook 19
A J Bichel c van Jaarsveld b Cook 2
G A Lamb lbw b Cook 12
N Pothas not out 15
A D Mascarenhas b Hall 6
S D Udal not out 6
Extras 25

Total 241 for eight after 83 overs

Fall of wicket 1-44, 2-139, 3-148, 4-189, 5-189, 6-191, 7-207, 8-231.

Bowling: Khan 16-2-43-1, Hall 19-4-57-2, Patel 17-1-54-0, Cook 17-6-32-3, Walker 1-0-4-0, Kemp 12.5-3-34-2.

Result: Match drawn Hampshire 10pts Kent 12pts.