Bell-Drummond leads Kent to victory at Lancashire

Daniel Bell-Drummond’s unbeaten 79 steered Kent to a seven-wicket Vitality County Championship victory over Lancashire before lunch on day four at Emirates Old Trafford.

The visitors resumed on 71 for one, needing a further 93 to win the battle of Division One’s bottom two, and they got there in 26.2 overs, reaching 166 for the loss of opener Ben Compton for 29 and Jack Leaning for 16, with both men falling to Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon and England counterpart Tom Hartley induced a series of false shots and prompted several lbw appeals as the home side attempted to win a first-class match after following on for the first time since 1888.

However, Bell-Drummond, whose patient innings lasted 201 balls, was there at the end with Joe Denly, who finished on 19 not out from a total of 166 for three.

In Division Two, Sam Northeast denied Yorkshire victory with a fine century to ensure Glamorgan emerged from their trip to Headingley with a draw.

The skipper finished on 142no to help the visitors to a second-innings total of 372 for seven by the time thunder and lightning intervened just before 4.20pm.

Glamorgan had resumed on 171 for three and needing 127 to make the hosts bat again and got there in relative comfort.

Northeast and Colin Ingram put on 210 for the fourth wicket before Ingram fell for 113 to Joe Root, who then bowled Chris Cooke for eight on the way to figures of two for 52 before play ended with the visitors 74 ahead.

It proved to be another frustrating day at Lord’s, where Middlesex’s clash with Leicestershire ended in a draw with no play possible on the final day.

The hosts led by 101 with two wickets left going into day four, but the rain which washed out the first day’s action returned with a vengeance early on the final morning.

Umpires Paul Baldwin and Robert White gave the ground every chance to recover, calling an early tea at 3.10pm following a 2.35pm inspection, but further rain in the interim led to the abandonment at 3.25pm.

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