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Kent beat Worcestershire by 10 wickets to secure third win of season in Specsavers County Championship Division 2

Kent secured their third win of the season in Specsavers County Championship Division 2 when they beat Worcestershire by 10 wickets at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on Saturday.

After wrapping up the Worcestershire second innings for 251 Kent were left to score just 12 for victory which openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson achieved in 11 balls.

The game was particularly memorable for experienced bowler Mitch Claydon, who returned his best Kent championship figures of 5-42 in the Worcester first innings, and was then presented with his county cap before lunch on the third day.

Mitch Claydon Picture: Barry Goowin
Mitch Claydon Picture: Barry Goowin

Sam Billings also achieved a notable milestone by becoming only the second Kent wicketkeeper to take seven catches in an innings during Worcester's first knock.

Kent totally dominated the opening day after electing to bowl first, dismissing the second-placed visitors for 211 inside 74 overs and then reaching 55 without loss at stumps.

Visiting openers Daryl Mitchell and George Rhodes were given a stern examination by Kent’s new ball pair of Matt Coles and Darren Stevens who conceded only one run off the bat in the opening seven overs.

Emergency opener Rhodes finally got underway after 43 minutes and 27 balls faced before Mitchel(16) became the only casualty of the morning session when he was caught by Billings off Coles.

Kent then bossed the mid-session claiming six wickets – four of them during Claydon’s 20-ball purple patch of 4-9 though Tom Fell (34) fell to the Billings-Coles combination (2-61).

Joe Clarke (69) offered the most resistance before falling to Kent's 2017 beneficiary James Tredwell, who also bowled Ed Barnard (25) on his way to figures of 2-9 from 6.1 overs.

Claydon’s figures were his best since joining from Durham in 2013 while Billings joined Steve Marsh as the only Kent keeper to have taken seven or more catches in an innings.

Kent openers Dickson and Bell-Drummond took their stand to 74 on day two before the latter went for 37. Dickson stayed on to make 77 - his fourth championship half-century of the season - and Darren Stevens then weighed in with 81, hitting 12 fours and a six.

Sean Dickson Picture: Chris Davey
Sean Dickson Picture: Chris Davey

Will Gidman marked his Kent championship debut with a half-century and with Coles contributing 41 to a ninth wicket stand of 51 Kent reached the close on day two on 397-9.

Last man Mitch Claydon (46) and loanee Will Gidman extended their 10th wicket partnership to 75 on the following morning before Claydon was bowled four runs short of a half-century.

Gidman finished undefeated on 75 from 135 balls (eight fours) moving past 3,000 First-Class runs in the process.

Kent's total of 451 gave them a lead of 240 but initially Worcestershire made their bowlers work hard for wickets in the second innings with openers Mitchell and Rhodes adding 94.

Rhodes (55) went on to score his maiden first-class half-century before the mid-afternoon introduction of Gidman started to turn the tide Kent’s way. Rhodes was the first to go when he was yorked by Gidman, who also trapped Mitchell (43) leg before.

Alex Blake then swooped to run out first innings top scorer Clarke (10) leaving the visitors on 122-3 at tea.

Claydon provided the next breakthrough, bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore for 10 and when Tredwell pinned Fell (32) leg before Worcestershire were 162-5 - still 78 in arrears.

Ben Cox and Ross Whiteley quietly pushed the score to 213, when, with the first delivery of the day's final over Tredwell found some turn to bowl Whiteley for 15 and leave the visitors 213-6 overnight.

Cox (39) was first to fall on the final morning, caught at slip by Tredwell off Coles with just seven runs added, and without addition to the total Joe Leach (3) was caught behind off Stevens to give Billings his eighth catch of the match.

Stevens struck again when Kyle Abbott lifted his back foot during a half-hearted lbw appeal allowing Billings to whip off the bails for a stumping and become the 10th Kent keeper to claim nine dismissals in a match.

Ed Barnard struck out lustily to move his side into an 11-run lead before his sliced drive against Stevens flew to Gidman at short third man to end the Worcestershire innings soon after noon.

Stevens finished with 3-31, while Gidman and Tredwell bagged two apiece as Kent banked 23 points and Worcestershire four.

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