Monday 8 June 2015 19:26, UK
Wayne White, Chesney Hughes and Billy Godleman have put Derbyshire in position to pull off an astonishing Division Two victory over Kent at Canterbury.
The visitors, 67-7 overnight, were bowled out for just 87 on Monday morning, conceding a first innings deficit of 119. But White, playing his first Championship match of the season, then took 6-25 as Kent crumbled to 112 all out in their second innings.
That left Derbyshire what looked a testing victory target of 232, which would be the biggest total of the match – and they closed day two on 169-1 thanks to Godleman (61no) and Hughes (82no).
The Derbyshire tail failed to wag in the morning, Ivan Thomas taking three quick wickets.
Kent made a decent start to their second dig, reaching 63-1, but then lost nine wickets for 39 in an incredible collapse, White – who had missed the whole season to date through injury – the destroyer-in-chief.
The target of 232 still looked tough, but after Ben Slater fell to Matt Coles for two, Godleman and Hughes made hay and Derbyshire look set to pull off a stunning victory.
Richard Levi hit an unbeaten 157, his first County Championship century, as Northants dominated the second day of their match with Essex at Wantage Road.
Levi's highest score of his career took the hosts to 397-6 at the close, a first innings lead of 121.
Having started the season opening the batting, Levi was moved down to No 5, and he shared consecutive half-century stands with Rob Keogh (36), Josh Cobb (40), Ben Duckett (20) and Steven Crook (38no) as Northamptonshire added 276 in the final two sessions to build a commanding lead.
The hosts had only added 12 to their overnight 43-0 before David Masters removed Rob Newton for 36 and Ravi Bopara dismissed both Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely in quick succession.
The rest of the day would belong to Levi however. The South African initially played the support role for Keogh, who was bowled after a stand of 63 by Reece Topley.
Michael Klinger scored a fine century as Gloucestershire gained an unlikely two-run first innings lead against leaders Lancashire at Bristol.
By the close Lancashire were just 12 runs ahead in this Division Two contest - with all 10 second innings wickets intact.
Having crumbled to 72-5 before lunch, Klinger and Geraint Jones (88) joined forces to add 167 for the sixth wicket, in 42.1 overs.
Aussie Klinger is in magnificent form - he scored 93 in his first Championship innings of the summer at Derby last week, and his two unbeaten T20 innings' have yielded 195 runs. He played with grit and no little skill on a wicket which offered the Lancashire seamers plenty of help.
Nightwatchman Craig Miles, wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick and Ian Cockbain all departed before lunch but Klinger and Jones added 139 in the afternoon session which failed to yield a wicket for the visitors.
Klinger eventually departed to a spectacular one-handed catch by South African Alviro Petersen, at mid-on, off the bowling of Steven Croft for 102.
Jones, who took just 66 deliveries to reach his half-century, departed shortly after, for 88, and the tail fell away.
Sixteen wickets fell on a dramatic day at Grace Road, which finished with Surrey very much on top.
Leicestershire began it on 35-0, replying to Surrey’s 261, but after reaching 100-0 they were bowled out for 190, Angus Robson (65) once again holding them together.
Young fast bowlers Jason Burke - on his Championship debut - and Tom Curran ripped through the Foxes order to give Surrey a first innings lead of 71.
Surrey closed the day on 217-6, Ben Foakes (46) and Gary Wilson (42) in the runs as the visitors built up an overall lead of 288.
