County Championship: Harmison & Billings hit tons in Kent win
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| LV= County Championship Division Two, Tunbridge Wells |
| Essex 260: (Westley 77, ten Doeschate 54, Stevens 4-37, Haggett 3-54) & 166 (Napier 35 not out, Hunn 4-47, Haggett 4-43) |
| Kent 633-8 dec: (Harmison 123, Billings 100 not out, Bopara 3-89) |
| Kent win by an innings and 207 runs |
| Kent 24 pts, Essex 3 pts |
| Match scorecard |
Kent put on a ground record score, with Ben Harmison and Sam Billings making tons, as they beat Essex by an innings and 207 runs with a day to spare.
Their 633-8 total was the highest-ever made at Tunbridge Wells, followed up by skittling out Essex for 166.
Harmison made 123 and Billings 100 not out either side of lunch and, set a big total, Essex were always struggling.
Graham Napier (35 not out) tried bravely but could only delay Essex's heaviest loss to Kent.
| History repeats itself - almost.. |
|---|
| Kent's previous biggest innings win over Essex was by an innings and 205 runs at the Angel Ground in Tonbridge in 1922 - a match in which they scored 621-6 declared. |
Resuming on 420-4, Darren Stevens (76) was the first Kent wicket of the day to fall, but that just brought Harmison and Billings together to put on 99 for the sixth wicket.
Following Harmison's dismissal, Calum Haggett (28) and James Tredwell came and went relatively cheaply as Billings neared three figures, and once Mitchell Claydon helped him reach that target, Kent declared.
Nicholas Browne's dismissal with just one run on the board got Essex off to the worst of starts, and only two other batsmen apart from the unbeaten Napier made it past 25 runs.
Haggett (4-43) and Matthew Hunn (4-47) did most of the damage as Essex were polished off just before the close of play.