Kent battle but Glamorgan in charge

Kent 135 (Hogan 3-42) and 254 for 4 (Key 85, Nash 50) lead Glamorgan 378 by 11 runs
Scorecard

Visitors Glamorgan appear to be homing in on their second win of the Division Two campaign after making basement side Kent follow-on in Canterbury.

Dismissed for 135 to concede a first-innings lead of 243, winless Kent batted marginally better second time around to at least take the game into its final day by reaching 254 for 4 at stumps - a slender match lead of 11.

Having been skittled before lunch inside 47 overs, Kent made a better fist of things in a second innings that started with a single over before the lunch interval. After the break, openers Rob Key and Sam Northeast appeared to be in little or no trouble in adding 75 for the first wicket until Northeast (33) drove a return catch to veteran spinner Dean Cosker.

Another Kent youngster, Daniel Bell-Drummond, then saw Jim Allenby pull off a stunning reflex catch at slip that sent him packing for 14, bringing together Key and Brendan Nash for a responsible third-wicket partnership that added 95 in 26 overs.

Key went past 50 for the fourth time this season, from 112 balls that included five fours, while Nash reached the milestone from 74 balls before both fell in quick succession. Only five deliveries after reaching his half-century and without addition, Nash edged an attempted push drive against Michael Hogan into the gloves of Mark Wallace to leave with his side on 192 for 3.

Then, only 15 runs short of a third century of the summer and the 49th of his career, Key's late decision to kick away a Cosker arm-ball led to his demise leg before wicket after facing 166 balls.

Though Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens survived the remaining 26 overs, Kent still face an uphill task to make the game safe on the fourth and final day.

The hosts had started the day already deep in trouble at 73 for 4 and were only able to add a further 62 to their tally before losing their six remaining wickets.

Allenby caused their early headaches, nipping one back to snare Stevens' leg before for 10 as he shouldered arms, then having Harmison caught behind for 12 off a lunging defensive push.

Geraint Jones, the acting Kent skipper, drove over a full ball from Hogan to lose his off stump before on-loan debutant Mitchell Claydon drove to mid-on and gifted Graham Wagg a second wicket.

Calum Haggett made a late, and bad, decision to leave a shooting off-cutter from Michael Reed that plucked out off stump, but at least 10th wicket partners Charlie Shreck and Adam Riley enjoyed themselves in adding 25 - the second best partnership of the innings.

Shreck, playing in his 122nd first-class match, was only four short of equalling his career best when Riley nicked behind to see Wallace hold on at the second attempt to end the innings and give Cosker a wicket with his fifth ball of the match.