Geraint Jones and Chris Read once polarised opinion as fiercely and dogmatically as Tony Benn and Denis Healey. Now, their England careers possibly behind them, they are model county practitioners and have done more than most to shape a contest that remains too close to call this morning.

Read was batting beautifully, especially through the off side, and Nottinghamshire had established a lead of 235 when Jones dived at full stretch to hold a brilliant, one-handed catch in front of first slip after his opposite number achieved only a thin connection in his attempt to drive Ryan McLaren.

That was the key wicket in an innings that had subsided on a colder, hazy morning against the accuracy of McLaren, who produced his best return for Kent. Jones then held his ninth catch of the match, off Mark Ealham, but Joe Denly will be culpable if Kent are narrowly defeated, having dropped a sitter offered by Stuart Broad on nought.

Kent took a significant stride forward when they came through the initial overs but found Broad a markedly harder proposition than on Thursday. Tredwell fell to his third ball and Denly and Walker soon followed to aggressive shots before Darren Stevens, in another rash moment, drove loosely at Ealham.

McLaren achieved due reward for keeping a consistent line just outside off stump, varying his angle at the crease and bowling back of a length from the Radcliffe Road End. Adam Voges paid for swishing outside off stump and Matthew Wood could do little about a ball that squared him up on the way through to Jones.

Read is a small, nuggety chap but he reaches farther than may be expected on the front foot and some of his cover driving was quite sumptuous. It is a shame that he will probably never play for England under a coach who rates his batting. Having played in the Indian Cricket League last autumn, he is banned in all but name.

Some of the Nottinghamshire bowling then allowed him to demonstrate his full athleticism behind the stumps as Ryan Sidebottom proved strangely ineffective in his opening burst. Broad, however, generated good pace and his bouncer was far more dangerous than before, as Walker discovered when he miscued an attempted hook.

Nottinghamshire: First Innings 202

Second Innings (overnight 30-2)

M J Wood c Jones b McLaren 58

A C Voges c Jones b McLaren 28

S R Patel c Jones b McLaren 1

B M Shafayat b Joseph 8

*†C M W Read c Jones b McLaren 88

S C J Broad c Kemp b Tredwell 20

M A Ealham c Jones b Joseph 39

R J Sidebottom c Van Jaarsveld b McLaren 1

C E Shreck not out 0

Extras (lb 4, w 1, nb 2) 7

Total (89.1 overs) 279

Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-69, 3-115, 4-117, 5-120, 6-134, 7-204, 8-271, 9-279.

Bowling: Yasir Arafat 13-3-52-1; Saggers 18-7-47-0; McLaren 21.1-5-75-6; Joseph 14-6-30-2; Tredwell 14-1-45-1; Stevens 9-0-26-0.

Kent: First Innings 238 (Yasir Arafat 67, R McLaren 57; R J Sidebottom 5 for 55)

Second Innings

J L Denly c Voges b Broad 35

J C Tredwell lbw b Broad 5

*M van Jaarsveld not out 45

M J Walker c Read b Broad 20

D I Stevens c Jefferson b Ealham 20

J M Kemp not out 1

Extras (lb 3) 3

Total (4 wkts, 36 overs) 129

Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-42, 3-70, 4-124.

Bowling: Sidebottom 11-2-42-0; Shreck 9-2-39-0; Broad 10-3-27-3; Ealham 6-2-18-1.

Umpires: N L Bainton and R K Illingworth.

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