Harry Finch hundred retains Essex ready
Kent 207 and 265 for 7 (Finch 114, Evison 56*, Harmer 3-64) lead Essex 458 for 8 dec by 14 runs
Harry Finch batted for 5 hours in recording a valiant century for Kent that defied Essex from claiming a LV= Insurance County Championship victory inside three days. The 28-year-old’s 114 at a strike fee of precisely 50 was his first sortie into three-figures since he compiled one two years in the past in opposition to his former county Sussex, and the fifth of a mercurial first-class profession.
Essex, in search of a fourth successive win to place stress on Championship leaders Surrey, endured a irritating day within the discipline as Finch led the best way in partnerships of 93 and 72 with Ben Compton and Joey Evison for the second and sixth wickets. Simon Harmer whirled away for 38 overs, taking three wickets for a parsimonious 64 runs, but it surely was not sufficient to stop Kent taking the match right into a fourth day and making certain Essex should bat once more.
Essex had taken a wicket with the final ball of day two however needed to wait till the 14th ball of the afternoon session on day three for the second. It wanted a spectacular one-handed diving catch at leg gully by Harmer to finish Ben Compton’s barnacle-like 122-ball innings after the Kent second wicket ate into Essex’s 251-run benefit on first innings.
Until that breakthrough second, it regarded as if Compton and Finch had bedded in for the lengthy haul, scoring only a solitary leg-bye throughout one 19-ball sequence of dot balls. Compton commonly thrust out an extended left leg to repel Harmer to the extent that the offspinner conceded simply 16 runs from his first 11 overs of the day earlier than briefly relinquishing his occupancy on the River End.
Finch, enjoying solely his second Championship recreation of the season, was by far the extra aggressive participant in that second-wicket stand and reached his half-century from 105 balls. His second fifty was faster, taking simply 78 balls earlier than elevating his helmet to acknowledge the milestone.
Jack Leaning adopted the Compton mantle, batting for 42 balls earlier than one stored low from Harmer and trapped him lbw for six from a 35-run stand. The injured Jordan Cox emerged with Tawanda Muyeye as his runner. However, the helper was not required to maneuver on Cox’s behalf because the wicketkeeper was scoreless for 16 deliveries and remained immobile on his crease when Sam Cook appealed efficiently for lbw.
Essex might need damaged the cussed fifth-wicket resistence between Finch and Evison a lot earlier. Evison, on 10, acquired a double reprieve within the blink of a watch when dropped by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who then missed the potential stumping as Evison overbalanced. It was a miss that was to show pricey.
Essex tossed the brand new ball to Harmer after simply three overs and together with his third ball he struck as Finch swept loosely to Paul Walter at quick midwicket. Joe Denly, batting regardless of struggling again spasms, felt his aspect as he on-drove his first ball for 4, however solely lasted one other six deliveries earlier than he turned Harmer into Alastair Cook’s arms at slip.
Evison nudged a single to succeed in a 96-ball fifty earlier than Grant Stewart hit consecutive boundaries to take Kent inside a run of creating Essex bat once more. But he then tried to take them into the black with one other boundary, however solely picked out long-off to provide Matt Critchley a wicket.