Hob For Kitchen

Lancashire 92 (Gilchrist 6-24, Agar 4-35) and 119 for 4 (Jennings 40) trail Kent 261 (Evison 71*, Williams 3-44, Lyon 3-50, Balderson 3-67) by 50 runs

Nathan Gilchrist took a career-best 6 for 24 to deepen Lancashire's current batting woes and help Kent take complete control of their Vitality County Championship match on a dramatic afternoon at Emirates Old Trafford.

Replying to the visitors' 261, Keaton Jennings' side were bowled out for 92 in 30 overs, with both Gilchrist and Wes Agar, who bagged 4 for 35, making the most of cloudy conditions.

Presented with the luxury of a 169-run first-innings lead, the Kent skipper, Daniel Bell-Drummond, chose to enforce the follow-on and his decision was justified as Lancashire lost three wickets for as many runs late in the day to finish on 119 for 4, still 50 runs in arrears.

In the 40 minutes' play that had been possible before lunch, Kent resumed on 203 for 7 and added 36 runs for the loss of Agar, who was bowled for 13 when he went back to a quicker delivery from Lyon that turned through the gate.

The new ball was taken immediately after lunch and brought dividends when Gilchrist was caught behind by Matty Hurst off Tom Bailey for 10, but Matthew Parkinson, who was playing his first innings at Emirates Old Trafford since he left Lancashire for Kent, ensured that his new team would collect a bonus point when he edged two runs through the slip cordon.

That, however, was the extent of the last man's modest heroics as he was caught behind for 3 two overs later, thus giving Will Williams his 200th wicket in first-class cricket. Joey Evison ended the innings unbeaten on 71, his runs scored off 150 balls, ten of which he hit for four.

The value of Evison's 198-minute innings was soon apparent as Lancashire collapsed to 40 for 7 in 17.4 overs. Luke Wells was the first to go when he edged Agar to Jack Leaning and departed for 10 but the disintegration really gathered pace when the home side lost four wickets for five runs in ten balls.

Josh Bohannon cover-drove Gilchrist for four but lost his middle stump next ball when he inside-edged an attempted pull into his wicket. Next over, skipper Keaton Jennings nicked behind to Harry Finch for 4 when caught half-forward by Agar, who then trapped Tom Bruce lbw first ball.

The tumble of wickets continued next over when George Bell nicked Gilchrist to Finch and the same bowler had George Balderson caught at slip by Denly for 2 to leave Lancashire in tatters. Tom Hartley added to the mayhem when his wild slash to a ball outside the off stump merely gave Zak Crawley his first catch and Gilchrist his fourth wicket.

Lancashire's disastrous afternoon continued when Tom Bailey was caught down the leg side off Agar for 5 but some defiance was shown by Hurst, who hit three fours and two sixes in an innings of 36 that took his side past 61, their lowest first-class score against Kent, which they made at Old Trafford in 1884.

Hurst became Gilchrist's fifth wicket when he pulled him straight to Crawley at deep midwicket and the innings ended when Williams edged a ball from Gilchrist to give Finch his fourth catch.

In their second innings, Wells and Jennings immediately took the attack to Kent's new-ball attack. The fifty partnership came up in the ninth over and the aggression continued even after Wells had been caught at slip by Leaning off Gilchrist.

Bohannon helped his skipper add a further 51 before he was caught by Leaning off Evison for 31 when attempting a drive and Lancashire suffered another crucial blow when Jennings was brilliantly stumped by Finch off Parkinson for 40. Will Williams lasted only one ball before being bowled by Gilchrist for a single.