A LATE four-wicket burst from Leicestershire’s veteran left-arm spinner Claude Henderson could not prevent Kent from posting their first home County Championship win in Tunbridge Wells this week.

Having enforced the follow-on with a 208-run lead, Kent eventually dismissed the visitors for a second innings total of 362 to leave themselves with a seemingly comfortable last afternoon run-chase of 155 from a minimum of 74 overs.

Captain Rob Key fell for one on the seventh ball of the pursuit.

His miscued drive from a lifting Nadeem Malik delivery went off the edge through to the wicketkeeper.

Kent secured their maiden home victory against county opposition with a second-wicket stand worth 136 between Sam Northeast and first innings top-scorer Joe Denly.

The pair ran quick between the wickets to help rotate the strike and dispatched anything loose to the ropes in a bright partnership that lasted 38 overs.

Denly reached 50 from 86 balls and went on to score 74, while Northeast ensured that he reached a half century in around two hours, with six fours and a six, which he smashed into the marquee.

The stand ended in spectacular fashion when substitute fielder Josh Cobb caught a stunning, over-the- shoulder catch running toward the boundary at deep cover that removed Northeast.

Without adding any further runs, Denly took the bait from a turning Henderson delivery and edged it to wicketkeeper Tom New and with only 18 needed for victory Kent started to wobble slightly.

It did not help matters that number five Darren Stevens was almost timed out, having taken his time to emerge from the pavilion.

Then, with only four to his name, the right-hander sent a bat-pad catch to silly mid-off to give Henderson a third scalp.

Without addition Geraint Jones aimed an expansive drive which might have won the match, only to edge to Will Jefferson at slip and give Leicestershire their fourth success in 21 balls.

It was left to Martin van Jaarsveld to complete Kent’s win on the stroke of the scheduled tea interval with a driven four through mid-on.

Kent’s first innings was much more convincing than their second outing.

Denly scored an impressive 143 before being dismissed by Matthew Hoggard.

Key notched up 91 runs and Northeast finished an agonising one run off a century, as Kent posted a healthy 459.

Leicestershire were forced to follow on after James Tredwell and Matt Coles tore through their batting order, taking a five-wicket haul each, as the visitors could only post a score of 251.

Having banked a maximum 24 points for the first time this season, as opposed to Leicestershire's three, Kent move off the foot of the second division table to leapfrog the visitors and Derbyshire to seventh place.

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