van Jaarsveld and Jones revive Kent

Kent 175 for 3 v Somerset 380
Scorecard

Martin van Jaarsveld and Geraint Jones rescued Kent with a gritty unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 128 in 36 overs after Somerset had threatened to take complete control in the County Championship Division One game at Canterbury.

Van Jaarsveld (70 not out) and Jones (47 not out) joined forces when former Kent seamer Ben Phillips reduced the hosts to 47 for 3, still 333 runs adrift of Somerset's total, shortly before lunch. Neither ever looked totally secure and both were dropped as they steered Kent to a more prosperous 175 for 3 at the close - rain wiping out the last 33 overs.

Replying to Somerset's all-out total of 380, Kent were soon in trouble, Phillips posing consistent problems by swinging the ball on a full length. He broke through in the sixth over when Craig Kieswetter flung himself away to his right to catch a fast-travelling edge from Joe Denly. A nick from Sam Northeast, when he had made only 2, landed just in front of Kieswetter before Northeast hooked Alfonso Thomas for six in an over which cost 15 runs.

Phillips won leg-before verdicts against Rob Key and Northeast in successive overs as his excellent opening spell of eight overs yielded figures of 3 for 14. van Jaarsveld and Jones, who added 176 for the fourth wicket against Essex last week, survived until lunch - which was quickly followed by a 15-minute break for rain.

They were never fully settled as van Jaarsveld survived a confident leg-before shout against Thomas and Jones was similarly spared when he tried to sweep slow left-armer Murali Kartik. An early tea was taken because of bad light, but van Jaarsveld and Jones found the batting conditions easier until van Jaarsveld, on 39, survived a tough chance away to Kartik's right at second slip.

The century stand and van Jaarsveld's 115-ball fifty arrived in the same over from Charl Willoughby. Jones was given a life on 47 when Zander de Bruyn could only parry a chance at short extra cover but van Jaarsveld emerged from a sticky patch to on-drive Willoughby for two crisp fours.

Somerset were still optimistic of picking up a full quota of batting points at the start of the day, but they had added only three singles to their overnight total of 363 for 7 when Kieswetter edged a full-length outswinger from Azhar Mahmood to Jones behind the stumps.

Thomas thumped Mahmood over extra cover but was then smartly caught by Van Jaarsveld away to his right at second slip off Amjad Khan. Willoughby hooked the first ball he faced for four, but in trying a repeat holed out next ball to Malinga Bandara on the square-leg boundary.