Nash excels for Kent
Friday 27th April 2012
Brendan Nash scored his maiden LV= County Championship century to put Kent firmly in command of their clash with second division rivals Yorkshire at Canterbury.
The diminutive left-hander was unbeaten on 114 at stumps on day two with his side sitting pretty on 316 for six for a useful 69-run lead at the midway point of the match.
Nash, the only player in the game to date to pass 50, featured in stands worth 77 with Geraint Jones, then an unbroken 81 for the seventh wicket with James Tredwell (28 not out).
Resuming on their overnight score of four without loss after just one over, Kent set about laying solid foundations through their makeshift opening pair of Sam Northeast and Scott Newman.
Newman, on loan for a month from Middlesex, proved the aggressor by contributing 31 to their partnership of 35, allowing Northeast, a late replacement in the match for injured skipper Rob Key, to drop anchor.
Newman was undone 15 overs into the second day when he fenced away from the body and with firm hands to be caught behind off Ajmal Shahzad.
Northeast went soon after lunch and was almost walking before umpire Trevor Jesty had time to raise his finger to uphold Shahzad's leg before appeal.
Ben Harmison reached a stoical 43 before he too went lbw, working across the line of an in-ducker from Steven Patterson that made it 125 for three.
Winter recruit and former Glamorgan stalwart Michael Powell made only three before he followed one from Ryan Sidebottom and edged to Tim Bresnan at second slip.
Bresnan then grabbed the ball to inflict further damage by snaring Darren Stevens' leg before for eight. Bresnan had thudded the ball into Stevens' pads with the two previous deliveries and it proved third time lucky when umpire Jesty again upheld the shout.
Nash, the Queensland-raised left-hander who played for the West Indies through his Jamaican roots, then teamed up with Jones to play a match-defining innings. His 10th first-class century came off 156 balls and included 14 fours.
The sixth-wicket partners added 77 in 16 overs at a much improved run rate of 4.81 an over.
Jones, having looked untroubled in scoring a majestic 47 from 49 balls, then flailed at one from Sidebottom to be caught at slip with Kent only 12 behind in the match.
Nash and Tredwell, with 28 not out, dug in for the final hour to lead the hosts to a third batting bonus point and a creditable lead.
Photo Sarah Ansell SarahCanterbury.com