Cricket: Kent rocked by Betts

Round-up

Melvyn Betts shone on another day of wash-outs in the County Championship, a career-best performance helping bowl Kent out for 167 as Durham secured a first-innings lead of 84 on a difficult track at Darlington.

The 22-year-old picked up five wickets for four runs in 28 deliveries, including three in one over, to finish with 7 for 29 off 16 overs. But Kent hit back to set up a potentially thrilling finish.

Matthew Fleming, who took 5 for 55 in Durham's first innings, produced another fine spell to pick up four wickets as Durham struggled to 144 for 7 in their second innings, a lead of 228.

At Liverpool, the downpours that washed out the entire second day between Lancashire and Glamorgan continued and it was a similar story at Bristol for the game between Gloucestershire and Middlesex, New Road for Worcestershire's encounter with Surrey, and Bath where Somerset were entertaining Leicestershire.

At Northampton the hosts were precariously placed on 40 for 2 in reply to Hampshire's first-innings 404 for 8 declared when the proceedings came to a halt just before lunch.