Foxes land stunning two-day win at Kent
Mon 23 Jul 2018
RESULT | Day 2 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Leicestershire CCC 229 and 76-0 beat Kent CCC 104 & 199 by 10 wickets
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Ned Eckersley spoke to BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae after the game
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
POINTS | Kent CCC 3 points, Leicestershire CCC 20 points
REPORT | Leicestershire CCC moved within four points of Kent CCC after a tremendous 10-wicket Specsavers County Championship win inside two days in Canterbury.
Ned Eckersley scored a vital 74 to help the Foxes record 229 in their first innings, a more than useful lead of 125.
The hosts moved ahead having lost three batsmen in the second innings, but the final seven wickets fell for just 66 runs as Muhammad Abbas (four for 55) and Zak Chappell (three for 32) wreaked havoc.
That left Leicestershire CCC with a chase of 75 and they knocked it off comfortably, Harry Dearden making an impressive unbeaten half-century alongside captain Paul Horton (15*).
County remain fourth but - more importantly - closed the gap on today’s opponents with a fourth win in five matches, and kept in touch with Sussex CCC, who moved into second place as they also won in two days against Glamorgan CCC at Hove.
The second day began with Chappell joining Eckersley at the crease as County looked to increase their lead of 45. Chappell played positively - Joe Denly’s third ball of the day was hit over mid-off for four - and he then drove Ivan Thomas through the covers to the fence, taking the Foxes past the 150 mark.
Eckersley was again being watchful, and registered his second Specsavers County Championship half-century of the season (125b, 6x4).
The pair lasted for around 45 minutes on the second morning before Grant Stewart found the outside edge of Chappell (7), Sean Dickson taking a routine catch at third slip. The second wicket of the day fell when Mitchell Claydon had Callum Parkinson (4) caught down the leg-side for four.
‘Keeper Eckersley continued to look unflustered, a clip off his legs bringing up a batting point. He followed that up with a sumptuous cover drive which flew to the fence to take County’s lead into three figures.
Eckersley and Gavin Griffiths (9*) added a useful 26 for the ninth wicket before the former, who faced 169 balls and struck 10 fours, was the ninth wicket to fall, playing on to his stumps off the bowling of Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Abbas (2) was bowled by Claydon to leave the hosts with a tricky two-over period to bat, and the Pakistan international took a key wicket by hitting the stumps of Bell-Drummond (0).
No. 3 Heino Kuhn joined Dickson and they had an over from Ben Raine to survive. After lunch the pair continued to frustrate the County seamers, and reached their 50 partnership in the 15th over of the innings.
After prolonged spells for the opening bowlers, Griffiths and Chappell came on and both looked like making something happen.
The breakthrough wasn’t immediate but Griffiths struck in his third over as Kuhn (29) pulled straight to Mark Cosgrove at mid-wicket.
Opener Dickson reached his half-century from 63 balls (9x4), and Denly started to score with greater freedom as Kent CCC chipped away at their deficit.
Neil Dexter entered the attack and got the third wicket for the Foxes. The all-rounder, who played alongside Denly both at Kent CCC and Middlesex CCC, trapped his former teammate lbw for 24.
Captain Sam Billings joined Dickson (59), and cracked two boundaries off Raine to put his side into the lead. Raine broke the partnership as he found a bit of movement to find Dickson’s outside edge, Eckersley taking the most straightforward of catches.
Billings and Zak Crawley took Kent into tea with the score at 155 for four, leading County by 30 runs – but Abbas and Chappell were in inspired form in the final session.
The overseas star trapped Billings leg before with a ball that seamed back in the first over after the interval, and followed this up with a beauty to Crawley, who fell in identical fashion.
County sensed their opportunity and Chappell, bowling with real pace, got three wickets in no time.
He dismissed dangerman Darren Stevens (6) leg before, leaving Kent at 172 for seven. Chappell got his second and third wickets as Harry Podmore (6) and Claydon (0) were both caught at the wicket by Eckersley, who ended the match with eight catches to go with his brilliant innings.
Abbas finished off the Kent innings as Stewart (12), who was looking to hit out, could only find Dexter at long-on.
Dearden and Horton opened the batting, and the left-hander got off to a nice start as he drove Podmore through mid-on for four before hitting Stevens to the mid-wicket boundary.
The chase continued smoothly as Horton drove Stevens through cover in trademark style, and after eight overs, the opening pair had reduced the target by 38.
Their 50 partnership came up in the 12th over as Dearden hit a brace of boundaries before Denly entered the attack - but the young opener didn’t let him settle, hitting him for a straight six.
Dearden reached his half-century from 58 balls (8x4, 1x6) with an impressive pull shot, and it was fitting that Dearden hit the winning runs, driving Stewart through the covers.
There is now plenty of Vitality Blast cricket before these two teams meet again in their next Specsavers County Championship game at the Fischer County Ground on Sunday, August 19.
TEAM | Horton (capt), Dearden, Ackermann, Cosgrove, Dexter, Eckersley (wk), Raine, Chappell, Parkinson, Griffiths, Abbas
FIGURES | 1st innings: Abbas 9-4-17-1, Raine13.5-2-39-3, Chappell 7-2-14-3, Griffiths 5-1-17-1, Dexter 3-1-11-2
2nd innings: Abbas 16.2-3-55-4, Raine 12-1-47-1, Griffiths 4-0-23-1, Chappell 10-2-39-3, Dexter 6-0-23-1, Parkinson 1-0-1-0
PHOTO | Thanks to Ed Melia for the photo of Muhammad Abbas celebrating with Harry Dearden
* See the Foxes in our next Vitality Blast home game against Derbyshire Falcons on Friday! The best value tickets are available in advance – a family ticket for 2 adults and 3 under 16s is available for £37 before 11.59pm on Thursday. Secure your seat today HERE
