Yorkshire's hopes of ending their Championship season with a home victory were virtually destroyed at Headingley yesterday by Kent seamer Martin Saggers, who made them follow-on 181 runs in arrears.
They then made a shocking start to their second innings and were 13 for one when bad light lopped off the last nine overs of the day.
Saggers went into the game as the country's leading wicket-taker with 77 first class dismissals and he added to his tally with four for 44, including Yorkshire's first two first innings wickets in the space of ten balls.
Although Kent were well on top at the start of the second day, it began favourably for Yorkshire with the dismissal of Australia's captain Steve Waugh, who added only ten to his overnight 136 before Steven Kirby had him caught behind attempting to cut.
James Tredwell continued to bat well until he was also undone by Kirby for 61 and a good strong spell by Ryan Sidebottom finished off Kent for 399. Yorkshire were left with six overs to bat up to lunch and they staggered in on 20 for three, Scott Richardson departing lbw from Saggers, who had Matthew Elliott caught behind with an unplayable delivery.
Michael Lumb impetuously sliced Amjad Khan's final ball before the break into the hands of Min Patel at gully and early in the afternoon it became 54 for four when Anthony McGrath edged Saggers to Paul Nixon, the wicketkeeper having spilled a chance off the same batsman in Saggers' previous over.
Richard Blakey, needing 55 runs to complete 1,000 for the season, came in above Gary Fellows, who was resting a sprained right wrist, but the captain was lbw to Mark Ealham for only two.
Craig White hit some blistering shots on his way to 62, but then Saggers came back and his first ball flattened the England all-rounder's off-stump. There were some good shots, too, from Fellows who did not look greatly troubled by his injury but spoiled himself by hooking indiscriminately at Khan to be caught at long leg by David Masters.
Sidebottom batted fluently for his 28 and Richard Dawson thoroughly deserved a half-century but in trying to reach it with a boundary he was bowled sweeping at Patel and Yorkshire's resistance had ended. For the second time in the day, Yorkshire lost a wicket before they had scored a run, this time Lumb being lbw to Khan, but they were spared further embarrassment when it became too gloomy to continue.
* Yorkshire have still to meet Darren Gough to discuss whether they will renew his contract next season. Gough has twice had to cancel appointments with cricket chairman Geoff Cope because of England training sessions, but the pair will meet over the next few days and all options are still open, including a contract on a match-by-match basis.
* Peter Martin and Chris Schofield bowled Lancashire to an eight-wicket victory over sorry Somerset inside two days at Taunton. The home side began the day on top, but allowed Lancashire to progress from an overnight 88 for six to 228 all out - a first innings lead of seven.
Kyle Hogg's first Championship half-century and an unbeaten 34 from Martin boosted the score, despite Matt Bulbeck's career best six for 93. Martin (four for 29) and Schofield (four for 35) then put the skids under relegated Somerset, who collapsed to 129 all out. Lancashire skated to victory at 124-2, with David Byas and Stuart Law hitting undefeated half-centuries.
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