Kent v Sussex: Scores and match report

Match scores (Tunbridge Wells)

Kent won by 147 runs

Kent 1st inns: 369 all out (Denly 119, Stevens 44; Wiese 3-54, Philander 3-78)
Kent 2nd inns: 298-2d (Bell-Drummond 90, Dickson 74, Denly 71*, Northeast 46*))

Sussex 1st inns: 164 all out (Wiese 36; Stevens 5-40, Harris 3-37)
Sussex 2nd inns: 356 all out (Van Zyl 78, Philander 73no, Burgess 68; Harris 4-103, Coles 3-85)

Day four report

Kent completed a Specsavers County Championship double over neighbours Sussex by wrapping up a 147-run win over their Division Two rivals with a session to spare in Tunbridge Wells.

Sam Northeast's unbeaten side, who have not lost to Sussex in their last seven meetings, required 43.4 overs to mop up the last four Sussex wickets and secure their fourth win of the campaign to remain on the coat-tails of divisional leaders Nottinghamshire.

Resuming on their parlous overnight score of 182 for six - and still 322 shy of their improbable victory target of 504 - Sussex showed greater resilience in only losing two wickets in the first session.

Kent were made to wait 39 minutes for their first breakthough when James Harris rushed one past the outside edge of David Wiese (34) to uproot off stump as the right-hander prodded from the crease in defence.

Michael Burgess should have been following him back to the pavilion with his score on 64, but Will Gidman at first slip fluffed his lines by dropping a decent chance off the bowling of Matt Coles.

The Kent firebrand had his man four runs later though, trapping Burgess lbw with a darting off-cutter to end the Sussex keeper's 252-minute vigil and send the visitors into lunch eight down.

After a short shower during the interval and the loss of five overs, Kent resumed after the break to strike with the second delivery. Jofra Archer (27) moved back and a across his stumps aiming to leg, only to miss a full-delivery from James Harris and cause umpire Steve Gale to raise the finger for lbw.

Vernon Philander continued to frustrate his former county into the mid-session by moving to his season's first championship half-century from 69 balls and with seven fours and a six.

Harris then bagged his fourth wicket of the innings to remove last man Danny Briggs lbw for 18. The tail-ender swished to the leg-side to be sent packing by umpire Gale.

Philander was unbeaten with 73 but deserved winners Kent banked 23 points. Sussex, who have now lost three of their four games, scored only three.

Day three report

Kent will be hoping Bank Holiday thunderstorms forecast for the westerly regions of the county avoid Tunbridge Wells on Monday as the hosts look to clinch a Specsavers County Championship double over Division Two neighbours Sussex.

Although the visitors made it through to stumps on the third day on 182 for six - a mammoth 322 runs short of their victory target - the stark reality is that only a monumental downpour or miraculous rearguard action will save them from a third defeat of the summer.

Sam Northeast's side predictably batted through until mid-afternoon to reach 298 for two in their second innings for an overall lead of 502, before bagging four Sussex wickets through to tea.

Harry Finch was pinned lbw by the fiery Matt Coles, who then clung on to a return catch that sent Luke Wells packing for no score. Darren Stevens claimed his sixth wicket of the match by bowling Chris Nash and, at eight for three, Sussex were seemingly hell bent on defeat.

Visiting skipper Luke Wright restored some pride with a pugnacious 38 off 32 balls before his attempted pull shot against James Harris took an inside edge through to Kent keeper Adam Rouse.

Kent snagged two more after the interval through occasional leg-spinner and man-of the-match Joe Denly. Fresh from scoring 119 and an unbeaten 71, Denly had Stiaan van Zyl caught behind chasing a wide one and, two runs on, held on to an ankle-high return catch that accounted for Chris Jordan.

Understudy keeper Michael Burgess dug in for 44 in tandem with David Wiese to see Sussex through to the close, but unbeaten Kent remain favourites to land their fourth win in five starts.

Day two report

Darren Stevens' Indian summer continued in Tunbridge Wells where Kent utterly dominated second-day proceedings of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Sussex.

Having banked a first-innings lead of 205 after skittling Sussex inside two sessions for 164 - with 41-year-old Stevens (pictured) bagging five for 40 - Kent opted to improve their advantage and went in at stumps on 116 without loss after a 35-over final session.

Daniel Bell-Drummond endorsed his skipper's decision not to enforce the follow-on by hitting a season's best 68 not out, while Sean Dickson's unbeaten 38 helped contribute to Kent's impressive overall lead of 321 at the mid-point of the match.

Kent's supremacy started in the opening session when they scored quick, first-innings runs before taking four Sussex wickets to send the visitors limping in at lunch on 78 for four.

Resuming on their first-day total of 316 for eight, Kent moved on at a frenetic pace as Adam Rouse took three boundaries off Vernon Philander's opening over only to depart lbw for 44 when playing back to a full off-cutter.

The hosts raised their 350 for a fourth batting bonus point in Philander's next over when James Tredwell steered for four through a vacant third man, but, with 18 to his name Tredwell nicked one from Chris Jordan to Chris Nash at second slip.

Inside 8.1 overs the hosts had added 53 runs while Philander and David Wiese finished with three wickets apiece for the visitors.

Taking to the field, Kent's on-loan seamer James Harris steamed in from the Railway End to pluck out the off-stump of Nash with only his second delivery.

Then, at the Pavilion End, Stevens revealed all his bowling skills to account for Luke Wells (25) and Harry Finch (5). Wells pushed at one going across him to edge to slip. while Finch, having left two floaty away swingers, was snared lbw with a darting in-ducker that caught him flush in front.

Matt Coles, in his 100th first-class appearance, then got in on the act by removing Luke Wright for 12. The Sussex skipper went hard at one outside off-stump, but a thick edge flew into the cordon where Tredwell, diving full length in front of first slip, took a stunning head-high catch.

In a frenetic mid-session, Sussex lost their last six wickets for 86 with Stevens claiming five for 40 - his fourth five-wicket return of the summer. Skittled for 164 inside 50 overs, Sussex conceded a first-innings deficit of 205 as Wiese, who was dropped behind when on 19, top-scored with 35.

Stevens - who now has 29 championship wickets averaging 12.08 apiece - gave yet another seam-bowling masterclass. Seemingly nibbling the ball around at will, it was the object lesson in 'you miss, I hit' bowling.

Harris relied more on his pace to snag the last two wickets to fall in a haul of three for 37 as Sussex lost their last three wickets inside 11 balls and without addition to their score.

Day one report

Joe Denly's first hundred of the Championship season helped Kent recover from a poor first session to reach 316 for eight against Sussex in their Division Two clash.

Denly toiled for over five hours in a gritty performance as Kent rallied after losing three wickets in the morning session - having won the toss and elected to bat.

Opener Sean Dickson failed to score, out to the ninth ball of the match when he feathered a catch to wicket-keeper Michael Burgess off Jofra Archer.

The hosts finally got the scoreboard moving at the end of the fifth over when Daniel Bell-Drummond steered one from Vernon Philander to the ropes at third man.

After spending the best part of 80 minutes simply surviving, Bell-Drummond appeared horrified at ultimately giving his wicket away for 14. Instead of allowing a David Wiese long-hop to sail by, he attempted an ill-advised forehand drive that gave Danny Briggs a simple catch at backward point.

With only nine to his name, Kent captain Sam Northeast soon followed, tickling a second catch of the day to Burgess to leave the hosts on 69 for three.

Denly and Joe Weatherly launched a post-interval counter attack to add 57 inside 17 overs before Weatherley, the on-loan Hampshire batsman, nicked to the keeper when defending on the back foot against Wiese.

In-form Darren Stevens marched in to unleash a handful of sumptuous drives as he and Denly posted 60 in 65 balls before the 41-year-old miscued an attempted front-foot force against Briggs and departed for a run-a-ball 44.

Denly teamed up with sixth-wicket partner Will Gidman to see Kent to their second batting bonus point and, moments later, Denly, 31, posted his 20th first-class century from 188 ball and with 13 fours.

Having contributed 42 to their 85-run stand, Gidman perished to a pad-bat appeal for leg-before by left-arm spinner Briggs.

Denly's 320-minute vigil for a season's best 119 was ended by the new ball in Philander's capable hands. After featuring in three half-century partnerships, the right-hander worked around his front pad to an off-cutter after facing 208 balls and hitting 16 fours.

James Harris (seven) and Adam Rouse (32*) formed an engaging eighth-wicket partnership in the final hour that took the hosts to a third batting bonus point before Wiese pinned Harris lbw on the back foot in the day's penultimate over.

Although they beat the bat on numerous occasions with both new balls, Archer and Philander will be disappointed not to have picked up more wickets on a Nevill Ground pitch that offered lateral seam assistance throughout the day.