Kent battle back towards parity at Gloucestershire

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day two) Gloucestershire 325: Charlesworth 85, Bracey 57, Price 50; Taylor 6-52 Kent 308-8: Muyeye 90, Benjamin 74*, Dawkins 65; Williams 4-40 Gloucestershire 4pts, Kent 5pts Match scorecard Half-centuries from Tawanda Muyeye, Chris Benjamin and Ben Dawkins boosted Kent's battle for first innings supremacy over Gloucestershire on the second day of their Division Two match at Bristol. Muyeye top-scored with 90 off 141 balls, while Benjamin contributed 74 not out and Dawkins a career-best 65 as the visitors ran up 308-8 in reply to Gloucestershire's 325. Seamer Will Williams was the pick of the home bowling attack with 4-40 from 21 overs and claimed a stunning run out.

At one point Kent were 245-8, trailing by 80 runs, but Benjamin and Keith Dudgeon (30 not out) put together an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 63 in the closing overs to frustrate the hosts. Kent set out at 1-0 when play began in hazy sunshine. With no addition to the score in 2.

5 overs, Zak Crawley aimed to play a delivery from Gabe Bell off the back foot and only succeeded in getting an inside edge onto his stumps. Nightwatch Michael Cohen was dropped on 12 by Ollie Price at first slip off Matt Taylor, but had added only six when another edge off a full delivery from Williams saw him safely pouched by Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft at second slip. Williams then produced the best ball of the morning, nipping back off the seam to bowl Sam Northeast between bat and pad and Kent were in trouble at 39-3.

But Dawkins was soon into his stride, taking two boundaries off Ben Charlesworth's first over, while the brief introduction of leg-spinner Ed Middleton saw him concede 10 off an over, with Muyeye capitalising on the opening two deliveries, both dropped short, to pull successive fours. By lunch, the pair had taken the total to 99-3, with Dawkins unbeaten on 45 and Muyeye on 31. The afternoon session saw Dawkins go to his half-century off 99 balls, with nine fours, while Muyeye required 88 deliveries to reach fifty, having struck eight boundaries.