Jarvis provides the hope of an answer

Kent 214 for 7 (Jarvis 3-35) trailLancashire 444 (Prince 106, Davies 99, Horton 71, Claydon 4-103) by 230 runs
Scorecard

Many questions may have passed through the minds of Lancashire members this spring. Will we get promoted? If we do, will we stay up this time? When will they stop knocking parts of our ground down? Who exactly are the Foo and why is it of such great importance that they be fought?

But the matter that will have troubled Lancastrians above all, perhaps, is who would take the wickets or bowl the spells that have been Glen Chapple's responsibility for nigh on two decades if the former skipper's move from playing to coaching is finally completed. While it is far too early to be able to answer that question with the slightest certainty, the performance of Kyle Jarvis in the second innings of last week's victory against Derbyshire and on the second day of the current game against Kent offer the hope that those wickets may come from a hitherto unexpected source.

Jarvis arrived at Lancashire in August 2013. His appearances until the last week have been relatively few and well-spaced. Until the second innings at Derby he had taken seven first-class wickets at a cost of 63.90 apiece. Then he took 5 for 13 to sweep Lancashire to victory in their opening match of the season. On the second day of this game his contribution was not quite as dramatic but his spell of 3 for 8 in 22 balls was still immensely valuable.

Bowling with pace, obtaining movement off the pitch and achieving remarkable accuracy, Jarvis ended Kent's opening stand of 62 when he had Daniel Bell-Drummond caught by Steven Croft at second slip. He followed this breakthrough with the wickets of Rob Key and Joe Denly, both of whom were beaten all ends up by fine deliveries at which they had to play.

Jarvis enjoyed no more successes on the second afternoon at Old Trafford but he was hardly required to make any. The efforts of his colleagues, frequently assisted by the gross errors of Kent's batsmen, were sufficient to leave the Robert Key's men parlously placed on 214 for 7 in reply to Lancashire's formidable first innings tally of 444, a total made possible by the sterling efforts of Alex Davies, of whom more later.

Somehow, Kent's middle-order batsmen suffered a collective loss of judgement and resistance in the second half of the day. How else might one explain Brendan Nash's attempt to guide a bouncer from debutant Jordan Clark over the slips when his team were 93 for 3? How else might we account for Matt Coles' attempt to reverse sweep Simon Kerrigan off what turned out to be the final ball of the day when rain was threatening? What was the balance of risk against reward in these situations? Nash was caught at the wicket and Coles was bowled. Both deserve a rollicking.

In between these dismissals Darren Stevens was lbw for 15 playing no shot to Peter Siddle who, like Jarvis, was always at the batsmen. Then Sam Billings reinforced his reputation with a 37-ball 28 and added 42 with Sam Northeast before Northeast called his young partner for a sharp single. Billings' dive failed to beat a sharp throw from Alviro Petersen at mid-off. The application of a little pressure by Lancashire's bowlers had earned considerable unexpected riches. Northeast, though, is still there on 48 not out and on him rest Kent's chances of avoiding the follow on. This has been a bad day for Key and his players but they are better than this. One hopes they look forward to an opportunity to show their true worth.

But while the second half of this day belonged to Jarvis, the first belonged to Davies, who is already following in Lancashire's glorious tradition of wicketkeeper-batsmen. Small, combative and skilled, Davies seems to echo the presence of George Duckworth, who kept when Lancashire won five titles in nine years in the 1920s and 1930s. In the very best cricketing sense of the term, Davies enjoys a fight and one sensed from the vocal support he received from his colleagues as he batted this morning that they enjoy having him in the side with his practical jokes, his effervescence and his seemingly unquenchable spirit.

And yet…..and yet. All that skill did not earn Davies his maiden first-class hundred. Having punched, driven and scurried his way to 99 in 198 balls, he flashed flat-footedly at his 199th - yes, it was a poor shot in the circumstances - and edged Mitch Claydon to Coles at second slip. That gave the Kent seamer the third of his four wickets in the innings and he, at least, let no one down. Davies strode off, disappointed but, one senses, not downhearted for long. For this carrot-topped 20-year-old was born to play cricket and every moment he spends on the field proclaims the fact. It will be fascinating to see where the game takes him.