By Christopher Lyles at Southend
First day of four: Kent (8-0) trail Essex (292) by 284 runs
IT WAS only four days ago that Essex were victorious in the Benson and Hedges Cup final and a number of their brethren batted yesterday as if their minds might still be at Lord's.
It took a last-wicket stand of 47 in 11 overs between Barry Hyam and Peter Such to give their total some semblance of respectability, though it was still short of expectations.
The pitches at Southchurch Park have improved vastly since 1989, when an unfit wicket cost Essex 24 points and, as events transpired, the championship. Some early moisture afforded the Kent attack a little assistance yesterday but it was a good toss for Paul Prichard to win on a true pitch which may take some turn as the match evolves.
Kent bowled and fielded tidily, but were nevertheless indebted to several Essex batsmen who caused their own demise by playing shots that were more appropriate to a one-day match.
A notable exception to the Essex malaise was wicket-keeper Hyam, who was playing only his 12th first-class game, in the absence of the injured Robert Rollins.
He came in when the sixth wicket fell at 193 and showed his more senior colleagues the benefit of playing with a straight bat and a sensible head. He was most unfortunate not to record his maiden first-class fifty.
He also received eminently pragmatic support from Such as the pair put the pitch into some sort of perspective. They almost gained a third batting point before Such was caught by David Fulton to be dismissed for only the second time this season, but the Essex No 11 still averages over 30 in his 10 first-class innings. How his batting has improved.
The Kent openers survived the final seven overs without undue concern and they will look this morning to lay the foundations of a sizeable total.
Day 2: Hooper maintains the highest of standards
By Christopher Lyles at Southend
Second day of four: Kent (313-7) lead Essex (295) by 18 runs
CARL HOOPER has quite a predilection for the Essex attack. In five previous matches, he had scored almost 700 runs at an average of more than 84 and he scarcely had to break sweat yesterday to improve those figures. It was his fourth century in nine championship innings against them and even the staunchest Essex supporter could only admire its magnificent quality.
Hooper's 100 came in just 114 balls but it was never a violent assault, even though it included three sixes, all from the off spin of Peter Such. He also hit six fours.
His innings was all grace and timing, as befits a man who sees the ball so early and he was not afraid to advance down the wicket, to Such or anyone else. On one memorable occasion, he did so to Mark Ilott and guided the ball back over his head and for four after one bounce. It took the breath away.
David Fulton's obdurate vigil, which lasted for 152 balls, was in stark contrast to the Guyanese delights on offer and there were also useful contributions from Trevor Ward and Alan Wells. But it was Hooper's day and it was a return to watching mere mortals when he top-edged to Stephen Peters at short extra cover as he attempted to pull the left-arm spin of Paul Grayson.
The Essex bowlers generally stuck to their tasks well on a slow, unresponsive pitch and were rewarded with the late wickets of Mark Ealham and Steve Marsh. If they can polish off the Kent innings this morning they may feel they have a chance of gaining only their second victory of the season if they can set a sufficiently demanding target.
But even if the pitch starts to take some turn, they will still have to contend with a certain gentleman who can play the spinning stuff a bit.
Day 3: Laws restore order to Essex
By Christopher Lyles at Southend
Third day of four: Kent (364) need 155 runs to bt Essex (295 & 223)
THE frailties of Essex's top order batting were exposed again at Southchurch Park yesterday as Kent looked likely in mid-afternoon to accelerate to a three-day victory. But some spirited low order resistance from Essex and an entertaining last- wicket stand of 35 has at least sent the match into a fourth day.
And Essex could hardly blame any vagaries in the pitch for their earlier troubles. It was slow and low but it was true, and there was little in it for the seamers, who distinguished themselves by seizing all 10 wickets.
Essex conceded a first innings lead of 69 after the last three Kent wickets added another 51 runs in the morning. Mark Ilott finished with four wickets, including that of Matthew Fleming, who still searches for that elusive half-century.
Essex's first task was to clear the deficit and without mishap. Instead, when concentration and commitment were called for they lost four wickets for the addition of only 38 runs in less than 20 overs.
Prichard was the first to depart, then Paul Grayson drove at a wide one and planted the ball straight to Fleming at point.
When Nasser Hussain and Ronnie Irani both perished soon afterwards the Essex innings was in shreds and it would have been a good deal worse if Fleming had caught Stuart Law when he was only 11 and Essex on 44.
Law (38) and Stephen Peters led a mini-recovery before both were lured on to the back foot by Fleming, and Essex found themselves 18 runs ahead with just four wickets left.
Danny Law buckled down to play a thoroughly mature innings. His fifty came from 103 balls and he hit five fours, plus two huge sixes in one over off Min Patel. Barry Hyam again acquitted himself well to the task in hand as he and Law put on 72 for the seventh wicket before both fell to the admirable Mark Ealham.
The sometime England all-rounder has more than doubled his season's tally of championship wickets in this match, and deservedly so, bowling line and length and varying his pace intelligently.
Ealham received first-rate support from Martin McCague and Fleming, who wrapped up the innings by having Peter Such caught.
Although the Kent spinners failed to take a wicket between them, the pitch showed signs of taking some slow turn. A couple of early wickets today would put a spring in Essex's step.
Day 4: Fulton takes the roar out of Essex
By Christopher Lyles at Southend
Final day of four: Kent beat Essex by 2 wkts
KENT made distinctly heavy weather of their fourth championship victory of the season yesterday in the face of a tigerish performance from Essex. Set to score 155 and with all day to bat if required, the visitors limped home (literally in Alan Wells's case) with two wickets in hand.
Kent's second win in three matches just about keeps them in touch with the leaders. As for Essex, they are having a season of curious oscillation. Benson & Hedges Cup winners and top of the AXA League yesterday morning, they are currently challenging for primacy in the one-day game. But their championship programme has elicited just one victory, in a declaration game at Bath, and they languish in 17th position.
The alarming inconsistencies of their four-day batting have again been exposed in this match, and it is a difficult problem to fathom given the depth of their obvious talent. Indeed it was only some spirited low order resistance on Friday afternoon that enabled them to set Kent any sort of target.
If the home side were to have a sniff of victory, early wickets and the concession of as few runs as possible were paramount. So Mark Ilott's opening spell was manna from heaven as his seven tight overs yielded just 11 runs for the wicket of Robert Key, who was trapped on the front foot.
And when Trevor Ward followed to the fourth ball of Ronnie Irani's first over, caught at slip, there was a spring in the Essex step.
Enter Carl Hooper, the purveyor of a sublime 100 in the first innings and the scorer of four centuries in nine innings against Essex. When he had made only five he edged Irani between wicketkeeper and first slip for four and Essex must have thought that their chance had disappeared.
But Peter Such, who had been introduced by Paul Prichard as early as the sixth over, got one to hold up in the very next over and Hooper succeeded only in lobbing the ball to short midwicket.
Kent's victory owed much to David Fulton, whose second half-century of the match was chiselled out from 144 balls, but Essex will ruefully look back at two incidents which proved to be seminal. Firstly Stuart Law dropped the dogged opener at slip when he had made 33, and a visibly disgruntled Such thought that he had snared him at leg slip on 37. Umpire Robert White did not.
Kent looked distinctly wobbly at 113 for six when Wells hobbled out to the wicket with a runner, after sustaining an ankle injury playing football on Thursday evening. But the pair guided Kent to within touching distance before Fulton inexplicably gave Such the charge.
But a gargantuan six over long-on from Martin McCague and a scampered single saw Kent home amid increasing tension in sunny Southend.