Northeast 50 in vain as Gloucestershire cruise to final day win
Friday 26th September 2014
Gloucestershire denied Kent the chance of a fourth-placed finish when they cruised to a 244-run win with two sessions to spare in Canterbury.
The visitors dismissed Kent for 203, mopped up their final five wickets inside a session for 32 runs to inflict a sixth defeat on the injury-hit hosts and bank 19 points for their victory.
Kent, having dominated the opening session of the game to have Gloucestershire reeling on 62 for eight, lost every session thereafter to glean three points from the final game of the summer.
Going into the last day on 95 for four in pursuit of an unlikely victory target of 438, Kent performed more admirably at first as Darren Stevens and acting skipper Sam Northeast dug in.
The fifth wicket partners looked untroubled in adding 98 in 28.1 overs until Stevens, three short of a half-century that would probably have made sure of his winning the PCA’s £10,000 first prize for winning the FTI-sponsored Most Valuable Player of the Season award – was promptly out.
Leaning back to cut the slow left-arm spin of Tom Smith, the Kent right-hander steered a catch to Hamish Marshall and, after pausing in a moment of disbelief, sloped off shaking his head.
Northeast, fresh from centuries in his last three county championship games, continued to look in prime form as he posted his fifth 50 of the summer from 98 balls and with seven fours.
He lost his sixth wicket partner Calum Haggett just before the lunch break, however, when the left-hander turned a bat pad catch to short leg to give Smith his second scalp of the session.
Northeast’s purple patch came to an end four overs later when, in attempting to leg glance Liam Norwell’s second ball of the day, he found an unlucky inside edge through to Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.
In his next over Norwell uprooted the off stump of Mitch Claydon (6) and, with Kent staring down the barrel of defeat on 187 for eight, delayed the lunch break.
Tail-ender David Griffiths, having taken career-best six for 63 with the ball on day three, departed with a wild slog across the line to lose his off stump.
Then Gloucestershire duly wrapped up their fourth win of the campaign when James Tredwell chipped meekly to wide mid-on to give Smith slightly flattering figure of four for 35.
Kent ended the season lying sixth, while Gloucestershire finish seventh.