Lammonby's 90 heads contributions as Somerset open up lead over Kent

Kent and Somerset look to be heading for a draw in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury after the visitors reached 374 for 7 at stumps on day three.

Tom Lammonby hit 90 and Matt Renshaw 66 as the visitors survived an early evening wobble to overhaul Kent's first innings score of 284. Kent debutants Matt Parkinson and George Garrett took 2 for 116 and 2 for 61 respectively, but a stand of 101 between Kasey Aldridge and James Rew gave Somerset a potentially useful lead of 90.

Aldridge was unbeaten on 50 while Rew made 57 before he was out in surreal circumstances following a delay caused by a rogue mobilty-scooter.

The draw always looked the most likely outcome after 119 overs were lost to the elements on days one and two, but if Kent were going to force the issue they needed to exploit the new ball.

They couldn't. Sean Dickson was on four when he edged Wes Agar between second and third slip, but both Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning went for the catch and neither managed to hang on.

Dickson failed to cash in, edging Garrett to Leaning for 17, but that was the only bright moment for the hosts during an otherwise joyless morning session that ended with Somerset on 108 for 1.

Lammonby played with restrained elegance, although he reached his fifty with a streakily edged four off Garrett.

Renshaw was then dropped on 58 off Parkinson when Joe Denly couldn't hang on to a diving chance at mid on. Parkinson, however, broke through in his next over, conjuring a ball that pitched outside off and spun viscously back into Renshaw's middle stump.

If that was the only wicket of the afternoon session, Parkinson's unbroken 25-over spell at least offered home fans hope that this season might offer something more than the toil of the previous campaign.

He lobbed in the occasional bad ball but always looked like making something happen and, in the second over after tea, he duped Lammonby into a swipe that was grabbed by Ben Compton at square leg.

A mini-collapse ensued as Tom Banton smacked Garrett for six but was caught behind off the next ball for 28 and Lewis Goldsworthy fell to the new ball, driving Nathan Gilchrist to Joey Evison at extra cover for 35.

Lewis Gregory made just one when he cut Wes Agar to Daniel Bell-Drummond and at that point Somerset were on 255 for 6. But Aldridge and Rew exploited some average fielding to push Somerset into the lead and give them their first score of over 300 in the first innings of a summer since 2014.

The torpor of the late evening was summed up when a man on a mobility scooter dawdled in front of the sight screens and Rew fell to the very next ball, skying Leaning almost vertically before he was caught by Harry Finch.

Aldridge then brought up his half-century when he took a single off the final ball of the day from Leaning.