Lower-order resistance not enough to rescue the Foxes from defeat

DAY THREE | Leicestershire CCC 109 & 253 v Kent CCC 232 & 262

SCORECARD | Available HERE

POINTS | Leicestershire CCC 3, Kent CCC 20

REPORT | Lower-order resistance from Ed Barnes (70) and Will Davis (42) delayed the inevitable until deep into the afternoon session as Leicestershire improve on their position after being 20 for 6 at lunch.

Matt Milnes reaps the rewards from a top-order collapse by Leicestershire by recording his first career six wicket haul in first-class cricket.

The grey, overcast skies remained over the Uptonsteel County Ground as day three got underway with the Running Foxes requiring one further Kent wicket to bring the visitors’ second innings to a close.

Ben Mike got day three underway with Stevens (55*) on strike, leading the way for Kent with the former-Fox setting his stall out early after recording 14 runs from the first over of the day.

Stevens continued to accelerate his scoring, with James Logan up the other end doing his best to keep the veteran on strike.

Seven overs into day three and Stevens had recorded the further 45 runs required to claim his century after cutting Parkinson away through the off-side: the ton coming from 67 balls, including 12 fours and six sixes.

Nine balls later, and Stevens’ partner in the middle had lost his wicket after skipper Ackermann got one to turn away from the batsman, beat the defensive effort and clip the outside of off-stump “ Logan departing for 4(29b).

With the wicket of Logan, Ackermann brought Kent’s second innings to a close on 262, with Stevens the man not out on 107 as Kent took a 365-run lead into the final innings of the clash.

During the innings break the rain began to descend in Leicestershire, prompting a 32-minute delay before Hassan Azad and Sam Evans emerged to begin County’s response.

The delay in play meant that eight overs were lost for Leicestershire, with 86 remaining in the day.

Azad and Evans looked to get of to a composed start knowing that time was on Leicestershire’s side.

The Kent attack of Milnes and Stevens came out firing though, and soon reaped the rewards of the early pressure they built on the Foxes’ opening duo.

Milnes struck with his sixteenth ball of the day as Evans was trapped infront for 1(13b).

Leicestershire were three for one as Ackermann joined Azad in the middle, and Leicestershire’s fortunes quickly went from bad to worse.

In a 45-ball window, County went on to lose five further wickets before lunch came with Leicestershire on 20 for six.

The second wicket to fall was Azad, as Milnes’ partner in attack claimed his first of the innings, trapping the Foxes man for 0(16b).

Milnes, though, kept the remaining four wickets before lunch for himself after dismissing Ackermann (2, 11b), Kimber (4, 4b), Swindells (0, 3b) and Hill (5, 20b) to record figures of 6.1-4-8-5 for just the third first-class five-fer of his career.

As Mike emerged alongside Callum Parkinson with the afternoon session getting underway “ following a 12-minute delay due to rain “ the former got off to a quick start in the second session.

Two overs into the afternoon and Mike recorded three fours off the bowling of Milnes whose figures had more than doubled in that single over.

Mike’s charge did not stop there as he recorded the Foxes’ first maximum of the tie in the next over as he cracked Stevens back over his head.

The boundaries seemed to be coming with ease for the duo as Parkinson cracked Stevens over mid on for a one-bounce four to open his boundary account.

Mike then went on to record his third half-century of the season as he sent Logan back over his head for four from the Kent man’s first delivery of the day - the fifty coming from 38 balls, including eight fours and two sixes.

Three balls later and the 77-run seventh wicket stand came to an end with the wicket of Parkinson for 17.

The Foxes man looked for an expansive shot off Logan, danced down the track and could only nick one through to Billings behind who took the catch.

Mike continued his attacking display, though, and soon had his first-class career best in his sights.

He looked for further boundaries off the bowling of Logan but skied one towards Leaning, running back at extra cover, who took the catch to see the Foxes man off for a 52-ball 70.

Leicestershire were 128 for eight as Chris Wright made his way out to join Barnes in the middle.

The ninth wicket partnership continued to maintain the rate, as Wright and Barnes hit their first sixes of the day in consecutive overs off the bowling of Logan and Denly respectively.

Wright was hard done by soon after, after he was judged to have top-edged Milnes’ bouncer through to ‘keeper Billings who pouched comfortably.

The Foxes man showed his dismay at the decision as he made his way back to the pavilion for 22, as Will Davis joined Barnes in the middle to form the final partnership of the contest. Leicestershire were 161 for nine.

Davis came in and picked up where Wright left off as he recorded his first boundary of the day off the second ball he faced, off Milnes.

Davis continued to score off Milnes as the Kent man’s next over went for 13 including a superbly timed pull shot just behind square leg.

The seamer then brought up Leicestershire’s 200 after driving Leaning back down the wicket and over the rope at long on.

Two overs later and Barnes recorded his second half-century of the 2021 LV= County Championship campaign after pushing Leaning away through the covers for his seventh four of the innings.

The fifty came from 54 balls and included seven fours and one six.

Davis was next to record a milestone as he was on his way record a new first-class career best score after surpassing his previous best of 39*.

The new high score only climbed as far as 42 for Davis, though, as he could only bottom-edge his attempted drive off Gilchrist through to Billings who took the catch.

Gilchrist earned his first wicket of the innings after dismissing Davis and sealed a 132-run victory for the visitors.

Barnes finished the man not out for Leicestershire after impressing with the bat in hand once again, on an unbeaten 70 from 74 deliveries.

FIGURES (2nd inns) | Wright 10-1-44-0, Davis 6-1-15-0, Parkinson 23-9-75-5, Mike 7-0-51-1, Ackermann 6-2-17-1, Barnes 9-1-57-3

Milnes 12-5-53-6, Stevens 9-3-24-1, Gilchrist 7.2-1-43-1, Stewart 2-0-21-0, Logan 10-2-39-2, Denly 9-1-36-0, Leaning 2-0-21-0

TEAM | Hassan Azad, Sam Evans, Colin Ackermann (C), Lewis Hill, Louis Kimber, Harry Swindells (wk), Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson, Ed Barnes, Chris Wright, Will Davis.

KENT CCC | Zak Crawley, Jordan Cox, Joe Denly, Jack Leaning, Sam Billings (C, wk), Ollie Robinson, Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart, Matt Milnes, Nathan Gilchrist, James Logan.

IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.

MATCH SPONSOR | Thanks to Dandelion Clothing for sponsoring our 2021 LV= County Championship fixture against Kent CCC.