Date-stamped : 06 Jul97 - 10:18 Lop-sided Kent go into reverse again By Clive Ellis at Maidstone First day of four: Kent 306 v Northamptonshire KENT`S collective approach to innings construction this season has been so lop-sided that they ought to give serious considera- tion to reversing the batting order. Northamptonshire captain Rob Bailey saw enough in the pitch to decide to field first, but Kent`s early slump to 31 for three and af- ternoon drift to 149 for six were more the product of poor shot selec- tion than inspired bowling in helpful conditions. Echoing the pattern of most of Kent`s recent batting perfor- mances in the championship, they rallied on the back of sensible contri- butions from Paul Strang, Steve Marsh and Ben Phillips. The prospect of no batting points was transformed into the healthier reality of three. Opener Matthew Walker continued his miserable run and Kent were initially rescued by a fourth-wicket stand of 94 between Nigel Llong and Alan Wells. Llong, dropped in the gully before scoring, made 57 off 107 balls, but having seen Wells yorked by Mohammad Akram he drove loosely to be caught in the slips. Strang, struck on the arm by Akram, and Marsh added 66 in 16 overs and the final part of the Kent innings was supervised by a highly accomplished 47 by Phillips. Northants stuck to their task well but deserve less credit for managing to get through just 40 overs in an extended afternoon session of almost three hours. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Igglesden`s return boosts Kent By Clive Ellis Second day of four: Northants (41-0) trail Kent (306) ALAN Igglesden, playing his first championship match for Kent since the end of the 1995 season, provided the one note of in- terest at Maidstone after the second day`s play finally got under way at 5.30pm. Igglesden`s selection owed everything to Kent absenteeism - Mark Ealham and Dean Headley were in action for England and Mar- tin McCague is still nursing a hamstring injury - but his first five overs, though not particularly threatening, yielded just one run. Northants openers Mal Loye and Russell Warren negotiated 16 overs with a fair degree of comfort to reach 41 on the easy-paced pitch and positive captaincy is now likely to be a key ingredient in ar- riving at a positive outcome. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Kent v Northants Third day of four: Northants (84-0 dec) need 322 runs to beat Kent (306 & 99-2 dec) TWO and a half hours of low-key manoeuvring at the end of an- other rain-hit day at least left the prospect of an intriguing run chase for Northamptonshire, writes Clive Ellis. The crowd may have been puzzled by the seemingly pointless posturings, but it was all designed to produce a target of about 320 on the final day. Title-chasing Kent and bottom-placed Northants will have equal incentive to force a victory. Heavy overnight rain delayed the start until 4pm. Then Mal Loye and Russell Warren posted Northants` highest championship opening stand this season, before Trevor Ward hit two meaty sixes in an over off Rob Bailey to set up Kent`s declaration. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Marsh and Cowdrey eager to stop the rot By Clive Ellis at Maidstone Northants (84 & 322-9) beat Kent (306 & 99) by 2 wickets STEVE MARSH and Graham Cowdrey will have an additional incen- tive to ensure that Kent do not come second at Lord`s next weekend: both are the less than proud possessors of three losers` medals from Benson and Hedges finals. While various colleagues figured in the defeats by Hampshire in 1992 and by Lancashire two years ago, captain Marsh and Cowdrey are the sole survivors of the loss by two runs against Middlesex in 1986. Kent may have ended a 17-year wait for a trophy when they won the Sunday League in 1995, but it will take a little more to convince supporters that the arrogant days of wall- to-wall success in the Seven- ties can be recaptured. It is a significant perspective when Cowdrey says: "This is probably the most complete one-day side I`ve played in." To which is added the telling caveat: "It would be great to do ourselves justice this time." Cowdrey`s intellingent brand of destructive strokeplay is a key component of Kent`s best side in limited overs cricket and al- though he has played in just one game over the past month becuase of a hamstring injury he should be fit to add his experi- ence to the cause. Martin McCague, another victim of hamstring trouble, is ex- pected to play in Kent`s Sunday League game against Northampton- shire at Maidstone today, and they should be at full strength at Lord`s. Until they lost to Middlesex in the first round of the NatWest Trophy a fortnight ago Kent could claim the highly unofficial title of team of the season so far. Their largely untroubled march to the final had been complemented by title-challenging form both in champi- onship and Sunday League. John Wright, Kent`s new coach, is still finding out how much of the X-factor this Kent side have, and while he is understand- ably concerned about the fraility of the top-order batting he is postponing judgment on individuals. "I believe in giving players a chance to prove themselves," he said. "It`s silly to say you`ve got to play this way. They have to work out what`s the best method for them." The honeymoon may be over, but the love affair between Wright and Kent could easily become a lasting romance. There is certain- ly an interesting contrast between the New Zealander and his prede- cessor in the job, Australian Daryll Foster. Whereas Foster had no playing pedigree to call on, Wright has the instant credibilty which goes with an 82-match Test career and county experience with Derbyshire. According to pace bowler Julian Thompson, he has struck "exactly the right balance between being in charge and being one of the boys". For all Dean Headley`s heroics on his Test debut, Wright has no hesitation in nominating Mark Ealham as the more significant missing link in the Kent chain because he adds both calm solid- ity in the middle order and forms a crucial part of the attack with his accurate medium pace. The absence of both, as well as McCague, for the championship match against Northants at the appealing Mote ground in Maid- stone, left Kent severely pressed for seam bowling resources and prompted a re- call for England pace bowler Alan Igglesden after almost two years in the championship wilderness. The pitch was too low and slow to permit spectacular fare, but at least an intriguing final day was guaranteed by the willing- ness of the two captains to engineer a finish after two days of minimal activity. It was a depressingly familiar story for Northants, who went into the game propping up the championship table, without a victory, but convinced that an uneven hand from the weather had much to do with their lowly status. A target of 322 looked perfectly attainable and Russell Warren and Rob Bailey made a sensible hole in it after Thompson had trapped Mal Loye lbw in the fourth over, adding 137 for the sec- ond wicket in 46 overs. Warren, now spared the additional burden of wicketkeeping, made 74 off 160 balls, his highest championship score for more than a year. He swung off-spinner Nigel Llong for six over midwicket but was stumped next ball and Kent clawed their way back into contention with the wickets of Kevin Curran and Tim Walton before tea. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)