Wayne White claimed career-best figures of 6-25, before Billy Godleman and Chesney Hughes shared a match-defining 186-run stand as Derbyshire fought back after being dismissed for 86, to beat Kent by eight wickets inside three days at Canterbury.
Kent, captained by Sam Northeast, won the toss and chose to bat on what was expected to be a batsman-friendly pitch in nigh-on ideal conditions.
Mark Footitt had other ideas, however, as he took two wickets in the first over of the match. Denly and Norhteast restored some normality as they stayed together for twenty-three overs and added 96 together before Wayne White bowled Denly. Northeast continued to play freely so it came as something of a surprise when Tony Palladino got him to play on. 35 for 3 quickly became 151 for 8 as Footitt and Palladino bowled with great control and accuracy. Palladino’s first spell of seven overs had cost him only four runs, while in his second spell of eleven overs he took three wickets for fifteen runs.
Haggett and Riley frustrated Derbyshire for twenty-one overs during which they added 53 runs for the ninth wicket and took Kent to a batting bonus point. Footitt took five wickets, his thirteenth first-class five wicket haul.
Any pleasure Derbyshire might have derived from their bowling performance quickly disappeared as they also lost two wickets in the first over of their innings and a third fell in the third over, all before a run had been scored. The situation became desperate as four more wickets fell to take the score to 40 for seven. Only Wes Durston, who had scored 35 out of 37 when he was sixth out, had looked comfortable. Matt Coles had taken five wickets for eight runs in his first six overs.
Tom Poynton and Palladino stayed until the close when the score had advanced to 67 for seven – it had been a poor day for Derbyshire, and it became no better on the second morning as the last three wickets fell for nineteen runs – all out 86, and a heavy defeat in the offing.
Kent’s second innings seemed to be following the expected course until a perfect throw from the long-leg boundary by Tom Taylor ran out Bell-Drummond in the last over before lunch. Kent went in for the interval on 73 for three, still nicely placed 192 runs in front with seven wickets remaining.
Wayne White had bowled Key in his first over, and he continued after lunch with an inspired spell in which he captured a further five wickets to finish with six for 25, by some distance a career-best performance. Kent were bowled out for 112, the last man out being Northeast who was wonderfully caught low down on the cover boundary by Tillakaratne Dilshan.
So Derbyshire were set what seemed an improbable 232 to win with a minimum 242 overs in which to get them. Again they lost a wicket in their first over, but this brought together Billy Godleman and Chesney Hughes who battled away against a confident Kent side with watchful defence and occasional strokes of aggression. Against all predictions they were still there at the close of play with their score on 169 for one from fifty overs – only 63 more runs needed to win.
The third morning was cold and grey, despite which children from eighty-five schools arrived on pre-arranged trips to watch the cricket. Godleman and Hughes started watchfully,but the runs soon started to flow, so it was a disappointment when Hughes was bowled only six runs short of what would have been one of his best hundreds for the club. His place was taken by Dilshan and he looked in little trouble – he even finished the match with two of his trademark Dilshan scoops to give Derbyshire an almost unbelievable comfortable win by eight wickets. Godleman had showed great determination, almost bloody-mindedness, in seeing his team home, thus recording his third not out in four innings.
There were a couple of oddities during this match – there were two complete innings without a single extra; and there were thirteen wicket maidens during the first three innings, two of them being double-wicket maidens
Kent 205 (66.2 overs) (SA Northeast 85, AEN Riley 34, JL Denly 30, FK Cowdrey 22, CJ Haggett 20*; MHA Footitt 5 for 45, AP Palladino 3 for 19) and 112 (36.4 overs) (DJ Bell-Drummond 45, SA Northeast 29; WA White 6 for 25, MHA Footitt 2 for 24)
Derbyshire 86 (32 overs) (WJ Durston 35, AP Palladino 27; MT Coles 5 for 24, IAA Thomas 3 for 31, DI Stevens 2 for 16) and 232 for 2 (63.2 overs) (CF Hughes 94, BA Godleman 82*, TM Dilshan 27*; MT Coles 2 for 75)
Derbyshire (19 points) beat Kent (4) by 8 wickets
