Denly, Bell-Drummond tons shut door on Somerset

Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond both hit centuries as Kent survived a mid-morning scare to earn a draw with Somerset in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.

Kent were in trouble on 10 for 2 and again at 70 for 3, until a partnership of 222 for the fourth wicket took the sting out of the contest and they closed on 290 for 4 declared. Denly beat his partner to three figures, posting 110 from 142 balls including 11 fours and a six, while Bell-Drummond made 107 not out from 169, with 14 fours.

Earlier Kasey Aldridge hit 57 before Somerset were bowled out for 403, a lead of 119. Nathan Gilchrist had Kent's best bowling figures with 3 for 64.

The draw was the clear favourite at the start of day four and one "win predictor" app claimed Kent's chances of winning were precisely zero. Certainly if any side had a realistic chance it was the visitors.

Somerset resumed on 374 for 7 and immediately went on the attack. Aldridge, who was on 50 overnight, drove the first ball of the day for four before he was brilliantly caught at midwicket by Jack Leaning off Gilchrist. Bell-Drummond then ran out Ned Leonard for 1, throwing down the stumps from short mid-on.

Jake Ball hit his first ball as a Somerset player for a six into the lower Frank Woolley Stand and a fourth batting point was secured when Josh Davey flicked Wes Agar to third man for a single, but the innings was wrapped up when Ball played on to Gilchrist.

Somerset clearly felt they had a chance as their batters sprinted for the dressing room and the more nervous home supporters were soon worried. Kent had a minimum 87 overs to navigate and lost both openers in the first five. Ben Compton went in the fourth, strangled by Ball to a delivery he clearly didn't think he'd hit and Tawanda Muyeye then swatted Davey to Tom Banton at point.

Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning calmed the situation by batting though till lunch, at which point it was 68 for 2.

Somerset's hopes soared again when Leaning perished in the second over of the afternoon, bowled by Lewis Goldsworthy for 32, but Denly joined Bell-Drummond and quickly wiped out the deficit.

Denly, who had also scored a century in his last red-ball innings for Kent in the final game of the 2023 season, clearly felt attack was the best form of defence. He raced to 50 from 53 balls, bringing up his half-century when he glanced Lewis Gregory for four.

Bell-Drummond passed the same landmark when he took a single from the same bowler and by tea it was 228 for 2. The tension had subsided and as one observer put it: "I've never been so delighted to be bored."

Denly's century arrived with arguably his worst shot of the day, an edge for two off Goldsworthy that flew over the slips and Bell-Drummond's followed soon afterwards, when he hit Goldsworthy back over his head for four.

Denly was out in the final over when he edged Goldsworthy to Matt Renshaw in the slips, but with any hopes of a win for either side long gone, Kent declared at 4.50pm and the teams shook hands on a draw. Somerset take 15 points and Kent 12.