Kent win by 10 wickets and return to top of the table
Kent returned to the top of the table by beating by 10 wickets in the Specsavers County Championship at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.
After having the upper hand for most of the 165th Canterbury Cricket Week, the hosts wrapped up a second home win in seven days with more than two sessions to spare.
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Having dismissed Daryl Mitchell’s side for 251 second time around, Kent openers Sean Dickson and Daniel Bell-Drummond needed only six minutes to knock off the 12 runs required.
Resuming on their parlous overnight score of 213 for six – an overall match deficit of 27 runs – the Midlanders were soon even deeper in trouble.
Kent started making inroads as early as the 15th ball of the day when Matt Coles, having just taken the second new ball, struck with his fifth ball of the day.
Pushing defensively at one just outside off stump Ben Cox (39) found a thick outside edge for James Tredwell to claim a comfortable catch at second slip with the visitors still 20 runs in arrears.
Without addition to the total Joe Leach (3) sparred at one from Darren Stevens to nick behind and give Sam Billings his eighth catch of the match.
Stevens struck again with Worcestershire still six runs in arrears. Having played and missed at one that clipped his front pad, Kyle Abbott lifted his back foot during a half-hearted lbw appeal allowing Sam Billings to whip off the bails for a gift stumping.
Billings became the tenthKent keeper to claim nine dismissals in a match.
Ed Barnard struck out lustily to move his side into an 11-run lead before his sliced drive against Stevens flew to Will Gidman at short third man to end the Worcestershire innings soon after noon.
Stevens finished with three for 31, while Gidman and Tredwell bagged two apiece as Kent banked 23 points for their third win of the summer. Worcestershire’s went home with only four points.