Date-stamped : 25 May97 - 06:15 Kent lose way as batsmen go off rails By Simon Hughes at Horsham First day of four: Sussex (102-4) trail Kent (245) by 143 runs FAST trains rush past the corner of this pleasant swathe every few minutes, clearly distracting the Kent players; after winning the toss, some of them certainly batted as if they had to catch one. A little sideways movement on an otherwise amiable pitch, accompanied by a fast outfield, did not account for them surrendering all their wickets by tea. It was the fourth time in five outings that the enviable Kent batting order has failed to reach 300. As usual, it was their bowling, weakened by the presence of Mark Ealham and Dean Headley in England`s Texaco Trophy squad, that hauled them back into the match. The Sussex attack, better than it looks on paper, had a rather lopsided quality. Racing in with the breeze, Paul Jarvis cracked David Fulton on the elbow second ball, obliging him to retire hurt, and, once he found the right length, caused all the batsmen problems. At the other end, a labouring Vasbert Drakes persistently overstepped and was driven and cut with relish by Trevor Ward. When Mark Robinson replaced Drakes, Ward thundered his first ball back past him to the boundary, all but taking the umpire`s ear off. The fifty was brought up in the eighth over. A rather leaden-footed Matthew Walker was bowled in the ninth, which brought about an intriguing confrontation: Jarvis v Wells, forthright fast bowler against uncompromising former captain. The two had a run-in at Hove last year, and yesterday Jarvis produced a peach for Wells`s first ball, appealed for both lbw and a catch and followed through to within whispering distance of his old captain. Wells weathered the early storm adroitly, but having seen Ward snared by Keith Newell`s gentle out-swingers, conspired to slice the same bowler to point. All the major Kent batsmen got a start but the Sussex bowling improved, egged on by their enthusiastic captain Peter Moores, whose regular exhortations sounded from the sidelines like the baa of a distant sheep. Nigel Llong was bowled off his pads, Graham Cowdrey caught at third man and Matthew Fleming given out lbw, much to his bewilderment, though whether this was in amazement at the decision or surprise at missing the ball was hard to say. Other indifferent shots left the returning Fulton high and dry. Luckily for Kent, Ben Phillips and Paul Strang were on the right line when they fielded. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Ward works hard to claw back the advantage By Simon Hughes at Horsham Second day of four: Kent (245& 154-4) lead Sussex (264) by 135 runs IF THE two teams played on the first day as if they had been taking amphetamines, they appeared to be under sedation during the second. There was less shot-a-ball batting and more consistent bowling. In essence, both sides showed greater discipline, as the Sussex ninth-wicket pair earned a small lead, then Kent, spearheaded by a more restrained Trevor Ward, worked hard to claw it back. The pitch is becoming more bowler-friendly by the hour. The Kent coach, John Wright, spent the first day with his head mostly buried in his hands, or at least in a copy of the Racing Post, but yesterday morning it was his opposite number, Desmond Haynes, who could not watch, as three Sussex wickets fell quickly to tame shots. Amer Khan had provided some useful resistance and one audacious front-foot hook for six off Martin McCague, but he and Vasbert Drakes then poked gentle catches into the covers, and Peter Moores followed suit. The Sussex scorer tried to broadcast details of this dismissal over a faulty public address, but after a stuttery attempt, all the spectators heard was him exclaiming irately: "Oh Gawd, what the bloody hell`s wrong with this?" He was moaning `privately` about the ropey microphone but he could equally have been referring to the Sussex batting: they were 154 for eight. Having already toiled away on this wicket, however, Paul Jarvis knew its run-making potential. He was dropped at slip on one, but thereafter proceeded to intersperse model defence with uncomplicated biffs through the covers and the odd swish at thin air. He was kept company until lunch by Mark Newell, younger brother of Keith, who was neither perturbed by the earlier horrors he had witnessed, nor by the legacy of having never made a first-class run, bagging a pair on his debut last year. An upright, unhurried player, Newell dealt com- petently with the constant probing of Paul Strang from one end, the pace of McCague and the precocious accuracy of Ben Phillips at the other. Tall with an easy action, Phillips looks a useful find, never wavering from a steady line and length, which was just as well since Kent`s decision to play the extra batsman had left them a seam bowler short. The searing pace of Matthew Fleming filled the breach after lunch, provoking Jarvis into a mishit, though not before he had completed his second fifty in five innings. Mark Robinson managed to hang on for half an hour, allowing Newell to reach his. Matthew Walker was an early casualty when Kent batted again, and his tormentor Jarvis was brisk and accurate, except when fielding off his own bowling. If he would have hit the stumps from close range, Ward would have been comfortably run out first ball. This, and demanding Sussex bowling, encouraged greater circumspection from the batsmen, and they were just beginning to build a good foundation when David Fulton edged the admirable Robinson to slip, then, in the same Drakes over, Alan Wells snicked a drive and Nigel Llong was yorked. But, accompanied by Graham Cowdrey, Ward forged ahead with increasing vigour. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Marsh and Phillips go on last-wicket joy ride By Simon Hughes at Horsham Third day of four: Sussex (264 & 31-1) need 391 runs to beat Kent (245 & 440) AN extraordinary last-wicket stand of 183, the sixth highest in championship history, dashed Sussex hopes of their first win post-revolution. When Steve Marsh and No 11 Ben Phillips, playing his fourth first-class game, came together on the stroke of lunch Kent had a lead of 238 and Sussex looked not only probable victors but also likely to earn themselves a day off. When they were parted at 5.20pm, four hours 11 minutes later, Sussex required 422. The celebration of their new dawn will have to wait another week. This match has supplied more twists and turns than the A281. As in a swerving country drive, there have been some anxious moments for all concerned, and not much is left of several bystanders` fingernails. Kent`s first innings 245 looked somewhat undercooked until Sussex declined to 154 for eight in reply. They recovered to take the lead. Kent then wrested the initiative back but lost four wickets in half an hour yesterday morning, leaving them precariously placed at 197 for eight, only 176 ahead. The ninth-wicket pair proceeded cautiously. Marsh was captain after all, and had to show some responsibility, and his partner Paul Strang had a broken little finger. There was occasional assistance for the bowlers and Vasbert Drakes produced a couple of can-opening outswingers, but 60 precious runs were added before Strang edged to slip. Phillips`s highest score prior to this match was two, but he had hinted at his batting potential with a mammoth pull into the shrubbery during the first innings here, and several sweetly-timed clips off his toes soon illustrated it was no fluke. One of these flew into and out of Mark Newell`s hands at square leg, but otherwise he played the bowling easily with an organised defence and good judgment. Marsh was neat, watchful and opportunistic. The excellent Sussex fielding, earlier featuring a good running catch by Jarvis and a clever palm-down by Bill Athey at second slip to Keith Greenfield at first, deteriorated. Several half-chances went begging, and when Drakes fell over the boundary catching a Marsh pull it was clearly not going to be their day. Peter Moores took the new ball and changed the bowling 17 times in an increasingly desperate attempt to clean up, but Marsh is a hardy competitor and Phillips, clearly a determined man, looked more Tim Robinson than Mark. He was under instruction from his coach John Wright to pass his recent 53 in the seconds, and did so with a languid cut. Marsh accelerated to his ninth first-class hundred, pulling a flat six off the unfortunate Drakes, and later larruping another over mid-on. When he was caught at deep cover for a career-best 142 he had figured in Kent`s second highest last- wicket partnership, though the 235 procured by Woolley and Fielder at Stourbridge in 1909 was still some way off. In these harrowing circumstances Sussex did well only to lose Toby Radford before stumps as Martin McCague worked up a head of steam. Phillips partnered him at the other end and after his superb knock and a career-best five for 47 in the first innings, he ought to buy a lottery ticket today. The resonant chimes of St Mary`s at the close reminded everyone that this has been one hell of a ding-dong. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Newell brothers cannot stop Kent By Paul Weaver at Horsham Kent beat Sussex by 91 runs SUSSEX cricket has always been a family business and the brothers Newell, Keith and Mark, are the legacies of a legend. They batted in aggressive tandem against Kent here yesterday, carried on by their fierce wills, the desperation of Sussex`s position and perhaps a little sibling rivalry. Brothers tend to drag each other upwards, as the Waugh twins would ruefully confirm. Sussex, 31 for one at the start of the final day and chasing an improbable 422 for victory, were in considerable trouble when they lost their fourth wicket, that of Bill Athey, with the score on 151; that was when Mark, 23, and playing his first championship match of the season, joined elder brother Keith, 25. They were not parted until the score had reached 289. Their fifth-wicket partnership of 138 had occupied 41 overs. Sussex were eventually bowled out for 317 to give Kent victory by 104 runs, with Martin McCague returning figures of seven for 82, his third five-wicket haul in as many matches. At tea, it had seemed as if the Newell brothers` efforts would stave off defeat for Sussex, with some even predicting the unlikeliest of victories. As the pair notched up the 100 partnership, Desmond Haynes, the Sussex coach on the players` balcony, eased into one of his most expansive Bajan smiles, something Sussex cricket has denied him in the bleak early weeks of this season. "Of the two I would say Keith has the more flair. He also has this calmness about him, which I like. He plays the ball well off his legs and he could be a genuine all-rounder with his medium pace. When I first saw him I thought this guy`s got something. "Mark plays more within his limitations. But he`s done so well in the one-day games this season that I felt he deserved a chance in the championship." Sussex have been playing at Horsham long enough for most spectators to remember the brothers Greig, Buss and Wells, even if they are not old enough to remember the families of Relf, Gilligan, Parks and many others. The immediate future of Sussex cricket is uncertain but the Newells will play a prominent part in it. Keith Newell scored his fourth first-class century. When he was finally out, for 112, he had faced 195 balls in 213 minutes and hit 19 fours. By then Mark had moved on to a composed half-century, scored from 118 deliveries and including 10 fours. This pitch has shown little signs of wear over the four days. The Sussex bowlers themselves looked confident of victory when they had Kent 197 for eight before they were frustrated by a last-wicket stand of 183 between Steve Marsh, the Kent captain, and Phillips. Yesterday morning they lost Keith Greenfield in the fifth over of the day, caught behind off McCague. Sussex were 55 for two and this became 96 for three when Neil Lenhan was lbw to Phillips one short of his half-century. Until the Newells got together everything appeared to depend on Athey, who batted two hours for his dogged 37 without hinting at the thrilling counter-attack to come. Among family sportsmen it is the elder brother who is often the more restrained, as if weighed down by fraternal responsibilities. But Mark`s batting is the more introverted here. Keith, however, needed no encouragement to play his shots and three times in one over he hit Strang to the boundary, twice clipping him off his legs from successive deliveries. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)