Kent hold on for draw

Rob Newton: Wrist fracture on day one of the Division Two clash

David Sales: plundered 140 for the visitors at Canterbury

Michael Powell: His fifth wicket stand with Darren Stevens could prove crucial

Rob Key: Scored an unbeaten 55 on day four at Canterbury

Kent's LV= County Championship encounter with Division Two rivals Northamptonshire petered out into a dull draw despite a brace of declarations.

The home side were 112-1 following an uninspiring pursuit of their victory target of 262 from a minimum of 60 overs.

Home captain Rob Key, having posted an unadventurous half-century from 114 balls, was unbeaten with 55 while Ben Harmison kept him company for two hours, limping to 27 not out.

In declaring his side's first innings on their overnight score of 280-6, to concede a 138-run deficit, Key challenged his Northamptonshire counterpart Andrew Hall to make a game of it by setting the hosts a target.

The visitors eventually did so, but only after Key, in tandem with the very occasional seam-bowling of Newman, had served up some 'buffet bowling' that allowed Northamptonshire openers James Middlebrook and Stephen Peters to help themselves to unbeaten half-centuries.

Middlebrook pulled one big six off Harmison in his 95-ball 50, while Peters took a further 17 deliveries to reach the landmark, with six fours.

The declaration finally came at the lunch interval with Northamptonshire on 191 without loss, leaving Kent the remaining 60 overs to chase their target.

Day three

Kent edged towards safety in their LV= County Championship Division Two match with Northamptonshire at Canterbury as they closed a rain-affected day three on 280-6.

Crucially the home side managed to inch past the follow-on figure of 269 to keep themselves on course for their fifth draw in six, although they remain 138 behind their opponents' first-innings total of 418.

Having resumed on 123-3, Kent lost overseas all-rounder Brendan Nash in the fourth over to only the seventh ball of the day from England Lions' seamer Jack Brooks.

That brought Michael Powell and Darren Stevens together for a vital fifth-wicket stand that put Kent in a very strong position to save the game.

Powell got his first half-century for Kent at Canterbury from 119 balls, while Stevens limped to the same milestone from the same number of balls and with only seven fours.

Their backs-to-the-wall effort finally ended when Powell, in attempting to work across the line against Lee Daggett, went lbw for 61, scored in a shade more than three hours.

Brothers-in-law James Tredwell and Geraint Jones also dug in for a further 16 overs before the rain arrived to wash out play for the day.

Day two

Kent closed day two at Canterbury on 123-3 in reply to Northamptonshire's first-innings total of 418 in the Division Two clash.

Rob Key made 48 and Ben Harmison 32, putting on 63 for the second wicket, before both fell to former Kent man Andrew Hall in the final session.

The Northamptonshire skipper had Harmison caught at backward point before striking again in his next over, opposite number Key going caught behind after two hours at the crease.

The hosts had needed nine hours and 144.3 overs to dismiss their opponents, Darren Stevens the pick of their attack with 3-63.

David Sales and James Middlebrook shared record fifth-wicket stand against Kent - 205 in 66.1 overs - the former making 140 during 319 minutes out in the middle.

Middlebrook made 73 but Con de Lange, who ended up 39 not out and David Willey (64) shared another century stand, this time for the seventh wicket.

Day One

Rob Newton suffered a fractured bone in his wrist as Northamptonshire progressed to 244-4 on the first day of their clash with Kent at Canterbury.

Newton retired hurt on 23 with Northants on 46-0 when batting first on a slow St Lawrence Ground pitch - initially he tried to play on after being hit on the wrist by Matt Coles but he could only manage two more balls.

Lengthy treatment on the field was not enough and it was later discovered 22-year-old Newton had suffered a fractured bone just above his left wrist, which will keep him out for four to five weeks and threatens his participation in the start of the Friends Life t20 in early June.

Without Newton, Northants slipped to 87-4 in the first hour after lunch before David Sales and James Middlebrook added an unbroken 157 for the fifth wicket to boost the visitors.

Sales reached a superb 104 not out by the close while Middlebrook was still there too on a battling 57, and in the end Kent's bowling attack was made to toil on a slow surface.

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