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Marshall's hundred not enough to stave off Kent defeat

26 August 2016

A century from Hamish Marshall - during which he passed 14,000 first class runs in his career - could not prevent Kent wrapping up victory 40 minutes after tea in the penultimate home Championship match of the season at the Brightside Ground.

Marshall's innings of 118 was his third Championship hundred of the summer and his second against Kent, having made 110 in the first innings at Canterbury back in May but after only losing the wicket of Phil Mustard before lunch, Kent slowly worked their way through Gloucestershire's lower order to win by an innings and 69 runs after bowling them out for 243 in their second innings.

Listen to head coach Richard Dawson's post match thoughts here :

Gloucestershire began the day 278 runs in arrears, so given their batting would err on the side of caution it looked unlikely that they would score enough runs to get themselves ahead on the board. The key was to keep the remaining six wickets intact as long as possible and frustrate the Kent bowlers in warm and virtually cloudless conditions.

The morning session went as well as could be expected. After three early boundaries from Marshall he went into his shell and both the Kiwi and wicket keeper Phil Mustard inched the score forward without undue alarm. Mustard had made only a single in the first 45 minutes when he clipped Coles through mid wicket for four, so having applied himself well to that point he will have been frustrated to cut Mitchell Claydon straight to Dickson at point shortly afterwards.

Jack Taylor quelled his attacking instinct to keep Marshall company until lunch, by which time Gloucestershire had reduced the deficit by 60 against a Kent attack where all six front line bowlers had been used.

Marshall had reached the interval on 49 not out, and completed a patient half century soon afterwards from 116 balls with seven boundaries. Five wickets were still in hand and little troubled Marshall or Taylor in the first 25 minutes after lunch when Taylor was tempted by a short ball from Coles and top edged a hook to 'keeper Billings. The deficit was still 197 runs, and Marshall had only four colleagues left to help him.

His stance thereafter became less cautious and more that of the batsman Gloucestershire supporters have watched over the past 11 summers. When width was offered he played freely off the back foot, especially square of the wicket, and a pull to fine leg off Viljoen took Marshall past 14,000 career runs in first class cricket.

At the other end Kent - especially when Mitchell Claydon was bowling - set a field to Craig Miles that persistently threatened a short ball was coming. He did well for a while to steer away anything dropped short, one such shot bringing four runs off Viljoen past the hands of Stevens in the gully, only for the South African to remove one more obstacle to a Kent win with his next ball as Miles was bowled for 15.

The sub-plot at this point was whether Marshall would complete his hundred, and to warm applause the departing New Zealander did so with a flourish, twice using his feet to hit spinner Tredwell for four and then chopping Viljoen away to bring up his century, which had included 18 boundaries and come from 163 deliveries.

Liam Norwell was with him by this point after David Payne, in similar fashion to Miles, had offered hope of extended support only to have his stumps re-arranged by Tredwell for 14. Gloucestershire took tea at 191-7, and Marshall's resistance was finally ended shortly afterwards when, with the new ball, Matt Coles trapped him lbw for 118 made in a little over five hours.

Kent were delayed a little further by a spirited last wicket stand between Norwell and Matt Taylor before Viljoen, who had bowled impressively on his Kent debut, deservedly took the last wicket as Norwell was caught behind for 24 to give Kent victory by an innings and 69 runs.

Gloucestershire also confirmed after the match that batsman Michael Klinger would be flying home to Australia on Sunday, earlier than originally scheduled. Klinger is to have treatment on a shoulder injury before starting the domestic season down under with Western Australia. This summer he scored 1,474 runs for Gloucestershire in all formats with five centuries, and he has already signed a contract to return to the club in 2017.

Listen to Michael Klinger's final thoughts before flying home here :

Gloucestershire's next first team fixture is a Championship game against Derbyshire at Derby which starts on Wednesday August 31st.

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