Paceman Milnes helps Kent to victory over Middlesex

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury (day four)

Kent 416 & 257: Bell-Drummond 60; Sharma 4-40

Middlesex 443: Holden 182 & 181: Gohar 66*; Milnes 5-31

Kent (23 pts) beat Middlesex (7 pts) by 49 runs

Match scorecard

Kent beat Middlesex by 49 runs on a thrilling final day in the County Championship at Canterbury.

Matt Milnes took 5-31 as the visitors were dismissed for 181, in the final session.

Middlesex looked heavy favourites when they dismissed Kent for 257. Naavya Sharma took 4-40 and Tom Helm 4-72, setting Middlesex a target of 231.

But they lurched to 93-7 and although Zafar Gohar went down swinging in with an unbeaten 66, he ultimately ran out of partners, with Keith Dudgeon wrapping up the win when he pinned Sharma lbw with 26 overs remaining.

Kent started day four with a lead of 206, but had added only 24 when Dudgeon was the last man out for 37.

Milnes added only three to his overnight score of eight when he flicked Helm to Ben Geddes at fine leg and Sharma got Matt Parkinson lbw for a duck in the next over.

Dudgeon pulled Sharma for a six over square leg and then got four from a Toby Roland-Jones misfield, but he hit the very next delivery, from Helm, straight to the same fielder.

Milnes ignited Kent's hopes when he bowled Sam Robson for seven with one that nipped back and sent his off stump flying.

Ben Geddes was on six when he had a major stroke of luck, hitting a Hasan Mahmud delivery that that rolled onto his leg stump without enough force to dislodge the bail, but Milnes then got him lbw for 11.

After Leus du Plooy had displayed a Midas touch on day three, it was Daniel Bell-Drummond's turn to have an inspired day as captain.

Dudgeon replaced Milnes at the Nackington Road End and sent two of Max Holden's stumps flying, bowling him for nine.

He then bowled Leus du Plooy, who played on for 13, ending the session with Middlesex on 52-4.

Joe Cracknell was on 16 when Milnes found his edge and the ball looped to Sam Northeast at second.

Bell-Drummond then brought Grant Stewart back from the Pavilion End and he got Seb Morgan lbw with his third ball.

And when he switched Hasan Mahmud to the Nackington Road End, his first ball bowled Caleb Falconer for 12.

Gohar and Roland-Jones produced the biggest partnership of the innings, after Milnes could not quite reel in Roland-Jones when he pulled Hasan to midwicket. They cut the deficit to double figures and had reached 134-7 at tea.

They had just completed a 50 stand when Milnes trapped Roland-Jones lbw for 17. Gohar nudged Milnes for a single to reach his half-century, but he then lost Helm, lbw for four, again to Milnes, with 64 still needed.

Gohar battled on, producing an elegant cover drive off Milnes, but with 50 needed Dudgeon returned to the Nackington Road End and got Sharma lbw for a duck.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.

Kent paceman Matt Milnes:

"That's actually one of the better wins I've ever experienced in my career. I thought the way the game ebbed and flowed, I thought we were ahead of the game at times, I thought we were behind the game at times, and yeah, it was really good game of cricket, so to come out on top was fantastic.

"When it came to bowling, we knew that the pitch was going up and down a little bit, so there was something to work with.

"Whilst it wasn't too much sideways movement, there was a little bit up and down, so I think we just had to keep the stumps in play all day. Thankfully, I think all four of us seamers did that, and then Parky did a fantastic job at bowling up the hill as well."

Middlesex head coach Peter Fulton:

"We're probably a little bit torn, really proud of the effort and the fight that we showed and what was a really good game of cricket, I thought, on a good surface that was challenging throughout the game in different ways for the batters and bowlers.

"So, yeah, really proud of the efforts, but also I think when you come up 50 runs short in a four-day game, you sort of always look back and there's some what-ifs and buts, so, there's a little bit of a mixture there.

"I think our performance overall was pretty good. It wasn't good enough to beat, I think, obviously, a good Kent team who are going well in the Championship this season.

"They've got some really experienced bowlers and probably in some ways that experience sort of showed. They were just able to be accurate and relentless enough for long enough."