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Glos fall to defeat on day four against Kent

15 June 2022

Kent recorded their first win of the LV= Insurance County Championship season, beating Gloucestershire by eight wickets at Canterbury. 

Jacob Duffy took five for 65 on his Kent debut, while Matt Quinn claimed two for 37 and George Linde two for 52, as the hosts lifted themselves out of the Division One relegation zone. 

Glenn Phillips led Gloucestershire’s resistance, batting for over three hours to make 59, but the visitors were all out for 213, setting Kent a target of just 88.  

The hosts eased to 91 for two in 22.4 overs, with Ben Compton making 30 to leave him on 988 runs for the season. Kent take 22 points and basement side Gloucestershire six. 

Gloucestershire started day four on 37 for five, still 89 behind the hosts’ first innings total of 564 but facing a Kent attack minus Matt Milnes, who was being rested as a precaution.  

Miles Hammond was on nought when he clipped Duffy to George Linde in the first over of the day, but the chance went down and for the next 40 minutes Gloucestershire chipped away at Kent’s lead, until Chris Dent tried to drive Duffy and edged the ball to Jordan Cox at second slip. Cox could only parry the chance, but a diving Sam Billings took the rebound, removing Dent for 32.  

Linde then produced a violently spinning delivery to bowl Hammond for 41, the ball pitching almost a foot outside off before crashing into the stumps. 

Ryan Higgins took two from Jack Leaning to nudge the visitors into the lead and Linde couldn’t hold a difficult caught and bowled chance from Higgins in the final over before lunch, at which point Gloucestershire were 16 ahead. 

Higgins had survived half an hour of the afternoon session when he played on to Matt Quinn and was bowled for 30 and Daniel Bell-Drummond then had Ollie Price caught by the sub fielder Will Harby for three at square leg, from just his third delivery. 

An elegant cover drive saw Phillips past 50, but he eventually fell to a juggling slip catch by Cox off Linde, leaving Zafar Gohar unbeaten on seven and the visitors rueing their decision to send in three nightwatchers at the end of day three, when they lost five wickets in the final session. 

Ollie Robinson began the run chase as if in Blast mode, cracking 20 from the first three overs, before he fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Hammond, while attempting to drive Gohar. 

Ben Compton, who needed 42 to become the first county championship player to make 1000 runs this season, was initially more measured, taking Kent to within five runs of victory before he was lbw to Phillips. 

Jack Leaning finished on eight not out after driving Phillips for four to level the scores and then hitting the same bowler to the cover boundary to clinch the win, while Bell-Drummond was unbeaten on 20. 

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