County struggle against champions-elect

Date: Wednesday 16 September 2009

Leicestershire 148 (Dippenaar 54, Cook 5-44, Khan 4-46) trail Kent 205-4 (Jones 89, van Jaarsveld 63*, Harris 2-58)

Kent stand on the verge of the Second Division Championship title after dominating the second day of the match against Leicestershire at Canterbury.

Despite a spirited half-century from captain Boeta Dippenaar, County could only make 148 after being asked to bat first by home skipper Rob Key.

By the close, Kent had moved into a lead of 57 with six wickets in hand, and need just one more point to make mathematically certain of the trophy.

Kent started the match requiring eight points that would definitely seal the title, but with Northants dismissed for 299 against Essex at Chelmsford, that target was reduced to five points as the day progressed.

With the first day washed out completely, the home side were looking to make up for lost time. They certainly did that. After winning the toss and inserting County, they claimed three of those required points by bowling the side out before tea.

The in-form duo of Geraint Jones (89 from 69 balls) and Martin van Jaarsveld (63* from 72) then scored at a brisk pace as Kent bagged their first batting point in the 35th over of their reply.

In County’s dig, Dippenaar did offer some excellent resistance with 54. Not was that the top score by some distance, it also meant the skipper had passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season, much to the delight of everyone at the club.

However, he ploughed a lone furrow in general as no-one else in the top six reached double figures. With the best partnership of the innings coming for the last wicket, you can see the problems the County top-order had.

Opening bowlers Simon Cook (5-44) and Amjad Khan (4-46) did the damage, with Khan providing the early wickets and Cook being the destroyer later in the day.

The only other real positive in the innings was AJ Harris' unbeaten 22, with the knock being the second largest of the innings and his highest score for Leicestershire.

He helped to add 29 for the last wicket with Wayne White, which ensued County got closer to the 150-mark than they looked like getting at one stage.

Inviting County to bat in conditions that were helpful to swing proved to be a good decision by Key, as former England paceman Amjad took two wickets during the first hour.

He sent down an opening excellent spell and Cook backed him up with some accurate bowling. County openers Matthew Boyce and Paul Nixon worked hard to negate the threat, but both fell to the Danish-born bowler.

Firstly, Boyce chopped on to Khan for eight, and then Nixon edged to the safe hands of Martin van Jaarsveld at second slip.

Captain Dippenaar arrived at the crease between those wickets, and he was looking for that aforementioned milestone. He needed ten runs to reach his Championship thousand and became joined James Taylor in reaching the landmark during the session.

The tenth run came with a nudge through mid-wicket, and it was a great moment for Dippenaar, who was bitterly disappointed with his first campaign in Leicestershire colours.

He was determined to come back and put things right, and he has done that in style, making 1,000 first-class runs during the game at Essex and now passing this landmark.

He has also captained the side well this season, and County were looking for him to continue to exert his influence at the crease to ensure a good first innings tally.

Boundaries had been in rare supply in the morning – Dippenaar scoring County’s only four in the first hour – but Josh Cobb added to that with a driven four when Ryan McLaren entered the attack.

However, he fell leg-before to the bowler later in the session as the hosts added another point to their tally. On first glance, the ball appeared a little high, but Cobb had to go nevertheless.

That bought Taylor to the crease, with County looking for their two most prolific four-day batsmen this term to rescue a difficult situation.

The pair looked as though they would make it through to lunch, with Dippenaar stroking a second boundary through the off-side and Taylor also striking a four through mid-wicket.

Unfortunately, the batsman fell just prior to the interval though, trapped leg-before by the returning Cook.

County needed a period of stability after the break but Kent were intent on pressing home their advantage. Cook claimed a second wicket after lunch as Tom New edged behind to Geraint Jones.

James Benning played positively, scoring three fours in sixteen, but he was next to go as van Jaarsveld pocketed another catch at slip and the hosts could tick another point off their checklist.

Dippenaar continued to bat impressively. He was the one player who looked settled at the wicket throughout, and amid the falling wickets, passing a total of fifty for the ninth time this season from 108 balls. The knock included eight fours at that point.

On two of those occasions the batter went on to reach three figures, and County needed him to again if they were to get a foothold in this contest.

Unfortunately, he did not make it much further, and both he and Jigar Naik – who also offered some resistance - fell in quick succession. Dippenaar shouldered hands and was bowled by Cook, and Naik was caught at first slip by Justin Kemp off a rising delivery from Khan as the seamer claimed his fourth wicket.

The wicket tally then read four apiece for the openers as Cook had Iain O'Brien caught by van Jaarsveld at second slip, and despite some spirited resistance by White and Harris, County could not get up to 150.

Despite that fact, Harris battled gamely to register his highest score for County, playing a cracking on drive for four and also pulling powerfully to the ropes en route to 22 from just 18 balls. However, White became Cook's fifth wicket when nicking to James Tredwell at third slip, and Kent would have been delighted to bowl County out within two sessions after not bowling a ball in anger yesterday.

With news filtering through that Northants were 194-7 at Chelmsford, it appeared that the title was all but won. Although their rivals staged a recovery of sorts to register 299, Kent still just needed just two more points to be Championship certainties.

Their batsmen set off in the pursuit of those points with intent, but Harris continued his good day’s work by stopping the early charge. The seamer had Key brilliantly caught by Taylor at backward point for 12 – which was comprised totally of boundaries.

County were hoping the wicket would bring some control, but the in-form Jones started like a house on fire.

He raced to 39 from just 30 balls with nine fours both sides of the wicket as Kent moved to 74-1 from 15, with Sam Northeast building steadily at the other end.

The youngster was dismissed for 21 though shortly afterwards, with White nipping one back and removing the bail off middle and leg.

Jones continued to prosper, though; his fifty came from just 39 balls and he added a pull through mid-wicket and an off-drive to those earlier nine boundaries. van Jaarsveld joined him, and with the pair having just shy of 2,500 Championship runs between them before this innings got underway, it was little surprise to see them playing well in tandem.

The pair looked intent on adding to their tally; in particular Jones, who was scoring at an unbelievable rate. He took twenty runs from Benning’s second over courtesy of three fours, a six and a two, and by this stage he had raced to 71 from just 47 balls.

The pair took their stand past fifty, and Jones moved towards three-figures with purpose. However, the returning Harris ended the ‘keeper’s fine knock, having him caught by Nixon at slip after making 89 from 69 balls.

The innings included sixteen fours and a maximum, so his dismissal to end their 78-run stand was a relief to everyone of a Leicestershire persuasion.

It also bought a welcome first point of a difficult day, but Kent’s batsmen continued on their way. Another fine van Jaarsveld drive bought him to within one stroke of a half-century, and that came up with a cover drive; his ninth boundary of a 47-ball knock.

van Jaarsveld then shared another half-century stand with former Fox Stevens, who played one particularly impressive stroke early on back past the bowler.

The pair took the score past 200 and their first batting point, but he was bowled by Naik for 18 shortly prior to the close. It was a well-earned wicket for Naik, who plugged away despite the batsmen looking to get after him.

However, Kent’s run rate still stood at a healthy rate by the close, with only O’Brien really keeping a lid on things with eleven overs for 25.

Kent will expect to be starting their party at some point tomorrow, while County need to keep their chins up and get as many points as possible out of the game.

The first task will be slow the rate – which stood at five-and-a-quarter at stumps – and chip away at the talented home batting unit.