Lynch dents Kent's ambitions

Kent 154 and 21-1 Gloucestershire 241

With the main prize now beyond their reach, Kent are still aiming for second place in the Championship, which brings with it a reward of pounds 30,000. But they made life harder for themselves when they allowed the last three Gloucestershire wickets to add 67, taking their lead to 87.

The low bounce was not as noticeable as it had been on the first day, although the Kent seam bowlers were all extremely accurate and found movement off the seam, even if at times they bowled too wide of the off stump.

For all that, batting was never easy until the 38-year-old Monte Lynch came in at 69-3. With his heavy bat he began to play a series of dismissive, almost disdainful, strokes. Lynch drove, glanced, flicked away off his pads, pulled and forced the ball through the covers off the back foot. There were nine delightful fours in his 54, which took only 60 balls.

The first Gloucestershire wicket was a long time in falling, which was partly because of the line of the bowlers and partly because Nick Trainor and Matthew Windows made up for any technical deficiencies with an admirable determination. They survived into the 29th over before Windows played back to Martin McCague and was caught by Carl Hooper at first slip.

Trainor and Andrew Symonds took the score to 53 when Symonds was caught behind trying to run Dean Headley, the pick of the bowlers, to third man. Bobby Dawson followed soon afterwards, bowled when playing across Headley.

Lynch and Trainor then added 72 in 19 overs. Trainor's vigil ended when he tried to turn a wide ball from Min Patel to leg and half overbalanced. Steve Marsh took the ball far down the leg side and as he could not reach the stumps threw the ball against them with Trainor still out of his ground.

Lynch was run out shortly afterwards before another curious dismissal, when Jack Russell tried to pull out of the way of a short one from Headley and was bowled off his visor. Mike Smith and Martin Ball stretched Gloucestershire's lead to 87 with some robust strokeplay at the end.