Gloucestershire close in on huge victory
Gloucestershire need five more wickets on the final day to wrap up a comprehensive victory against Kent in Bristol
Press Association
20-May-2014
Kent 114 (Will Gidman 4-14, Fuller 4-32) and 165 for 5 (Harmison 66*, Billings 51*) require another 417 runs to beat Gloucestershire 252 and 443 for 6 dec (Marshall 118, Alex Gidman 85, Howell 63*)
Scorecard
Scorecard
Gloucestershire were closing in on a first Division Two
win of the season at Bristol after setting Kent a target of 582 for victory on
day three.
Kent were trailing by 417 runs on 165 for 5 at stumps after Gloucestershire
declared on 443 for 6 and then took a flurry of early wickets in the visitors'
reply.
But Ben Harmison (66 not out) and Sam Billings (51no) put on a 96-run
partnership for the fifth wicket to frustrate Gloucestershire and take the
contest into a final day.
Resuming overnight on 213 for 4 - a lead of 351 runs - Gloucestershire
swiftly set about adding to their total, moving to 279 in 12 overs of play.
Gareth Roderick fell leg before wicket to Darren Stevens for 85 from 95 balls
and Stevens took his fifth wicket in his next over when he bowled Hamish
Marshall for 118, leaving Gloucestershire 351 for 6.
The New Zealander had exceeded Kent's first-innings total of 114 on his own and
Benny Howell then blasted an unbeaten 63 off 37 balls, with Will Gidman 39 not
out when Gloucestershire called a halt to their innings.
Kent's survival mission did not start well as four wickets fell in the first 20
overs.
Captain Rob Key fell for three, caught by Chris Dent, and Brendan Nash followed
for nine, caught by Howell, to give Gidman two early wickets while Ben Drummond
was out lbw to James Fuller for nought.
That left Kent on 24 for 3 and though Sam Northeast and Harmison set about
steadying the crumbling innings, the opener was lbw to Tom Smith in the 20th
over.
At 47 for 4, Kent were struggling to take the contest into a fourth and
final day but Harmison was joined by Stevens and the pair survived until tea
with Kent at 63 for 4, trailing by 518 runs.
Stevens soon became Gidman's third victim for 10, caught behind by substitute
Cameron Herring - who was permitted to keep wicket in place of the injured
Roderick.
Harmison continued the visitors' resistance in the final session, reaching his
half-century off 83 balls with Kent having recovered to 113 for 5.
Sam Billings also reached his fifty as the pair closed in on their century
partnership at stumps after 56 overs of play. Gidman had figures of 3 for
39, which had at one stage read 3 for 7.