Northants respond well after Kent centuries
Daniel Bell-Drummond and Harry Finch both made centuries for Kent on day two of their County Championship match with Northamptonshire at Canterbury but the match looks headed for a draw.The visitors had reached 140-1 at stumps, a deficit of 426, with Ricardo Vasconcelos unbeaten on 87 and Calvin Harrison 41 not out. Matt Quinn took the only wicket, getting Luke Procter for eight.Earlier, Kent declared on 556-8, Bell-Drummond hitting 158 in a stand of 208 with Finch, who made 118. Liam Guthrie took 3-29, but Northants' bowlers laboured throughout with the Kookaburra ball and Kent's attack did not fare much better.The visitors actually started the day with an early wicket when Joey Evison, 29 not out overnight, departed for 37 in the fourth over - after driving Guthrie for a textbook four through mid-off, he was caught behind off the next delivery.That, however, was the high point for the visitors, whose chief tormentor was all too familiar.Bell-Drummond hit an unbeaten triple century at Northampton in 2023 and he reached three figures by scrambling for a single off Harrison.Finch brought up his half-century in the next over when he went down the wicket to Yuzvendra Chahal and hit him for four over long on, as Kent reached 446-5 at lunch.After refreshments, Finch reached his sixth first-class hundred when he pulled Saif Zaib to the backward square leg boundary for four and a single off Harrison took Bell-Drummond to 150 before he finally went, caught behind trying to sweep Zaib.Finch went in the next over, trying to reverse sweep Harrison and falling to a sharp one-handed grab by Justin Broad at first slip, but Kent batted on until Matt Parkinson was lbw for four trying to sweep the same bowler.Kent declared, tea was taken and Quinn, having missed all of last season and broken down nine balls into pre-season, marked his return to the first team by getting Procter debatably caught behind in the seventh over.It was an isolated success. Vasconcelos raced to 50 from 51 balls and although Kent followed Northamptonshire's lead in at least managing to slow the scoring rate slightly, it felt like the only way a batter would get out was by chucking their wicket away – neither did.ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
Sinner cruises as Wimbledon seeds fall, Krejcikova survives
LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - World number one Jannik Sinner stayed cool to reach the second round of Wimbledon while several of his fellow seeds including Italian compatriot Lorenzo Musetti and American hope Jessica Pegula crashed and burned on a sizzling Tuesday. Novak Djokovic will continue his bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and standalone 25th Grand Slam title when the 38-year-old Serb will play Frenchman Alexandre Muller later when conditions improve after a second day of stifling heat. A red-hot Sinner effortlessly eased through beating fellow Italian and close friend Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0 in a victorious return to the Grand Slam stage after his epic French Open final defeat by Carlos Alcaraz last month. "First round matches are never easy, so I'm very happy about today. Obviously, for Italian tennis, a bit unfortunate," Sinner told reporters. "I know him quite well as a person. I tried to put away the friendship for a couple of hours. So it's all good." Sinner's other friend Musetti, last year's semi-finalist, was dumped out by Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, who prevailed 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-1 on a muggy Court Two. Wimbledon dark horse Alexander Bublik, seeded 28th, was also unable to avoid the exit door, as the Kazakh showman was dragged into battle by Spaniard Jaume Munar and beaten 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-2 to continue the exodus of seeded men's players. Taylor Fritz let out a massive roar but it might as well have been a sigh of relief after the fifth-seeded American moved past big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7(6) 6-7(8) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-4 in a match carried forward from Monday. His American compatriot Tommy Paul took out Briton Johannus Monday with little fuss, the 13th seed cruising 6-4 6-4 6-2, but it was the end of the road for 30th seed Alex Michelsen who fell 6-2 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-6(6) to Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic. On the women's side, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was tested by promising 20-year-old Filipina Alexandra Eala, but she found best form to win 3-6 6-2 6-1 on her return to Centre Court after last year's surprise triumph. "I mean, what the hell (kind of tennis) she played in the first set?," said Krejcikova, praising her opponent. "She was smashing the ball and cleaning the lines, so wow, wow. She's going to be really good in a couple of years." While Eala missed her chance to make history, Zeynep Sonmez became the first Turkish woman to reach the second round at the grasscourt Grand Slam when she battled past Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 7-6(5) 6-3. Third seed Pegula was unable to put up a fight as she fell 6-2 6-3 in 58 minutes to Elisabetta Cocciaretto before Olympic champion and fifth seed Qinwen Zheng was beaten 7-5 4-6 6-1 by Czech Katerina Siniakova. Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek faced a tight opening set against Polina Kudermetova but the eighth seed won 7-5 6-1 while Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva advanced after a 6-3 6-3 victory over Mayar Sherif. Victoria Mboko found out a few hours before she faced Magdalena Frech that she had entered the main draw as a lucky loser due to Anastasia Potapova's pullout and the Canadian teenager rode her luck to stun the 25th seed 6-3 6-2.
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Man United 'are offered THREE players for Jadon Sancho' in ambitious swap deal that could see Red Devils finally shift the winger
Manchester United have been offered three players in a potential swap deal for Jadon Sancho, according to a report. Sancho hasn't played for United since publicly falling out with former manager Erik ten Hag in a clash that saw the former England winger hit back after the Dutchman had criticised his training levels. He then went on loan to former side Borussia Dortmund in Germany, before penning a season-long temporary stay at Chelsea that saw the Blues given the option to make it permanent for £25million at the end of the campaign. The London club did, though, decide not to do that, and ended up paying £5m to ensure Sancho would return back to United. He still has one year left remaining on his deal. There has, meanwhile, been no indication that current boss Ruben Amorim has any intention of integrating Sancho back into his squad, and the winger continues to be linked with a move away this summer. Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, the most recent chance for United to get rid of the star involves Juventus offering three players in a potential exchange deal. One of those players is no stranger to the Premier League, with Douglas Luiz having played for Aston Villa between 2019 and 2024, joining from Manchester City. Luiz has seemingly been on the chopping block at the Italian side for a long time, and could well make the move back to the English top flight and join United. It is also reported that the 27-year-old has been mentioned as a potential player in any swap deal for United winger Antony, who spent much of last season on loan in Spain with Real Betis. The second player offered for Sancho, meanwhile, is reportedly Dusan Vlahovic. Vlahovic is for sale in Turin, having scored 17 goals in 44 games last season. In total, he has netted 58 times for Juventus since joining from Fiorentina in 2022. The third and final player is thought to be Timothy Weah. Weah, formerly of Celtic and Lille, is an attack-minded right back and also a regular at international level with the United States. It is reported that United were made aware that all three players are for sale, though it is is unclear if all three would have been involved in a deal for Sancho. The idea is said to have only been raised during negotiations about the Englishman. Juventus are thought to be keen on signing Sancho, with no issues arising over a potential transfer fee. They aren't, though, believed to want to cover Sancho's full £250,000-a-week salary. Last month, meanwhile, it was reported that Sancho had agreed terms with Napoli, but no move materialised. Sancho is hoping to reinvigorate his career but it appears United are struggling to shift him. Despite his past success in Germany, Dortmund are not keen on offering him a route out of Manchester.
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Wimbledon diary: Petra Kvitova takes the mic and Alexandra Eala flies the flag
Double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova made an emotional exit after losing in straight sets to the American Emma Navarro on Court One, her final match in SW19 as she is set to retire after the US Open. The 35-year-old was emotional when interviewed in front of an appreciative crowd following the defeat, leaving the scene of some of the greatest moments of her career with tears in her eyes. She then took her last chance to usurp the moderator of her final post-match Wimbledon press conference, taking control of the loudspeaker to introduce her own media access to the journalists by announcing: 'I'm Petra Kvitova, and this is my last press conference here.' ***** Twenty-year-old Alexandra Eala made her Wimbledon Centre Court debut when facing reigning women's singles champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round. The Filipino ensured the flag was flown for her nation not only via her performance – a gallant loss having taken the first set – but also through a unique accessory provided by sponsors Nike. Eala wore a hairband shaped into the form of the sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines, in a box that was printed with the Filipino proverb 'kung may tinanim, may aanihin' – 'if you plant, you will harvest'. ***** Australian actress Cate Blanchett, star of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, was in attendance alongside compatriot Rebel Wilson, known for her roles in Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids. New Zealander Russell Crowe was also present in the Royal Box, with the star of Gladiator and Les Miserables joined by his fiancee and fellow actor Britney Theriot. From the same industry was Sarah Lancashire, beloved for her roles in Happy Valley and The Last Tango in Halifax, whereas from the sporting world golfer Justin Rose was joined by his wife Kate. ***** Quote of the day 'Would I want to play three-out-of-five? No. I would rather the men play two-out-of-three. I don't think we all need to start playing three-out-of-five. I personally will not watch a full five-hour match. People can't even hold their attention long enough they say these days with phones. How are they holding their attention for five hours? ' – Jessica Pegula when asked if women would switch to a best-of-five format. Picture of the day Tweet of the day Wednesday's match of the day Emma Raducanu's second-round clash with Marketa Vondrousova will be a real draw on day three as two former grand slam winners meet at a relatively early stage in the tournament. Raducanu won the US Open aged just 18, prior to which she made her main-draw Wimbledon debut during the same season and defeated Vondrousova in a memorable match on her way to the third round. Vondrousova, who would go on to win Wimbledon in 2023, comes into their tie in good grass form having taken the Berlin Open earlier this month and will be hoping to turn the tables on the British star. Wednesday's weather Cloudy changing to light rain by late morning with a maximum temperature of 26C, according to the Met Office.
