TUNBRIDGE WELLS

(day two of four): Somerset won toss

Somerset 208 and 157 for 2: Kent 273

Lunch

Kent were grateful for Martin van Jaarsveld's adhesiveness throughout the morning session at Tunbridge Wells as they attempted to gain a first innings lead over Somerset.

Resuming on 85-3, Kent initially made excellent progress after losing Martin Staggers, the night watchman, after 35 minutes' play. This was almost entirely due to Darren Stevens who looked in superb touch and scored 46 from 44 balls while dominating a fifth wicket partnership of 54 with van Jaarsveld.

Stevens struck nine fours before being lbw to Steffan Jones and Justin Kemp, having got off the mark with a pulled six off Jones, was also lbw - to Ben Phillips - to leave Kent 188-6.

At lunch van Jaarsveld was 51 not out, having scored just 30 runs in the two hour session but, at least from Kemp's perspective, he was still there.

Tea

Geraint Jones batted well for 18 before being judged lbw on the front foot, but, by then, Kent were in front and looking for a sizeable first-innings lead.

Van Jaarsveld was now beginning to open out, too, pulling and on-driving Zander de Bruyn for boundaries. On 95, however, and to the disappointment of the home crowd, he slapped a slower ball from Pete Trego straight to extra cover.

Van Jaarsveld had faced 199 balls, hitting 13 fours, but the innings came to a tame end as both Yasir Arafat and Ryan McLaren got out to loose strokes against Charl Willoughby.

Somerset, facing a deficit of 65, were given a solid enough start by Marcus Trescothick and Neil Edwards, but, shortly before tea, Edwards nicked an out-swinger from McLaren and was caught in the gully for 16.

Close

Batting with understandable caution at such a vital stage of the match, Trescothick and Langer began to put together a significant partnership.

Indeed, the stand became the first of the match to reach three figures before Langer, on 42, went down the pitch to James Tredwell, was beaten by the turn and stumped by Geraint Jones.

Tredwell had been introduced 10 overs earlier, the 28th of the innings, and his off spin was the first sighting of a slow bowler in the match.

Trescothick had swept Tredwell's first ball for 4, and soon afterwards had hit him straight for 6, but the off spinner then made the breakthrough Kent badly needed and at the close had figures of 1 for 25 from 8 tidy overs.