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Gloucestershire left battling for a draw after Billings' barrage

25 August 2016

Kent wicket keeper Sam Billings hit a career best 171 in first class cricket as the visitors scored rapidly for the second successive day at the Brightside Ground to leave Gloucestershire needing to bat for four sessions to save the match.

When Kent declared their first innings at tea on the third day at 533-6, the lead was 312 despite an interruption for rain that brought an early lunch and trimmed 15 overs off the day's allocation.

Their dominance was down to Darren Stevens - who took his overnight stand with Billings to 258 before he was out for 140 - and the England List A and T20 international, who struck 29 fours and a six in an innings that last just under five hours.

Left with 39 overs to bat until the close, Gloucestershire were 13-3 within half an hour and 34-4 when bad light forced the players off shortly after 5.30 with 278 runs still needed to avoid an innings defeat on the final day.

Listen to skipper Gareth Roderick's close of play thoughts here :

Kent's intent under overcast skies on the third day was clear from the outset. With the risk of showers they wanted to score quickly on what now appeared to be a near perfect batting wicket and set up a potential declaration late in the day. It was a plan their middle order batsmen delivered to a tee.

The morning session was truncated to less than 10 overs by rain, but that was long enough for Kent to secure a fourth batting point and for Billings, who was 86 not out overnight, to reach three figures with a lofted shot over mid wicket. It was his 18th boundary, and the stand, when lunch was taken, had set a new fifth wicket record for Kent against Gloucestershire.

It was finally ended shortly after the resumption when Stevens, who had scored heavily off the back foot square of the wicket and through the covers in his 140 runs, saw Klinger hold onto a low tumbling chance at slip off Miles. The 50 overs he had batted with Billings had seen Kent score at five an over, and put themselves in a dominant position.

Even with a reasonably new ball the Gloucestershire bowlers weren't able to extract anything from the pitch, and Will Gidman's knowledge of the Brightside Ground wickets made him an ideal foil for the increasingly belligerent Billings, who passed his previous best first class score with a straight drive off Payne.

As Gidman patiently played himself in, the 25 year old wicket keeper continued to accumulate runs quickly with a wide range of shots against a tiring attack, striking nine boundaries in the 62 balls it took him to get from 100-150.

Not since the first game of the season against Derbyshire had the bat been so dominant, and having hit Jack Taylor for the solitary six of his innings and added 91 with Gidman in 18 overs, Billings flat batted Norwell straight to Miles at mid off for 171. Even on a docile pitch, it was an innings that sent a strong reminder of his ability.

Gidman made it five scores above 50 in the Kent innings before drizzle brought an early tea with the former Gloucestershire all rounder unbeaten on 58, and having added 43 with Tredwell for the seventh wicket. Kent had scored 533-6, giving them a lead was 312, and Gloucestershire were faced with batting out a long post tea session in muggy conditions.

In such circumstances a solid start was essential, but three wickets had gone inside the first six overs. Dent was squared up by Stevens, who took a low caught and bowled   catch : Roderick edged Viljoen to Tredwell at second slip and Tavare was bowled by Stevens having left a ball he thought was missing off stump.

The light became gloomy enough for the umpires to decide play should be suspended unless Viljoen was taken off, which made Klinger's dismissal for 10 just before the the light worsened further all the more frustrating.

Only 54.2 overs had been bowled in the day, but Kent had dominated every session and Gloucestershire face the considerable challenge of batting throughout the last day with only six wickets in hand to secure a draw.

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