Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s 6 Wickets Haul Propels Warwickshire to Dominant Victory Over Kent
Oliver Hannon-Dalby propels Warwickshire to a commanding victory over Kent in the Vitality County Championship, with six wickets in an innings, giving them their first victory of the year and sending Kent closer to relegation.
On the third morning, Warwickshire’s seamers finished the demolition job they had begun on their opponents the day before, bowling Kent out for 243 in their second innings.
Key Performances and Match Scorecard
Warwickshire 420 (Rhodes 201, Barnard 65) beat Kent 156 (Compton 70) and 243 (Bell-Drummond 78, Evison 65, Hannon-Dalby 6-43) by an innings and 21 runs.
After being dismissed for 156 in the opening over, Kent could not muster much more in their second effort, especially while facing the Kookaburra ball on a pitch that was getting easier. Oliver Hannon-Dalby took 6 for 43 (or 9 for 74 for the match).
Joey Evison (65), the only player to provide sustained fight, saw the visitors’ miserable season culminate in a sixth straight Championship loss and another slide towards relegation. For Matt Walker’s team, three miserable days in the West Midlands were made even worse by injuries to important players Tawanda Muyeye and Grant Stewart.
On the third morning, Kent restarted at 157 for 3, and they reached 171 rather easily until Hannon-Dalby whacked them with a quick burst of 3 for 6 in 14 balls. Jack Leaning and Muyeye were caught by sharp induckers, and Charlie Stobo hit Rob Yates with his opening ball at second slip.
Hannon-Dalby was halfway to claiming all ten wickets when Ed Barnard trapped Stewart leg before point and then removed Matt Parkinson, who edged to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.
Before Evison, out of partners, lifted Barnard for six to achieve a 93-ball half-century, Alfie Ogborne edged Michael Rae to slip. Evison batted brilliantly in both innings, but Kent was forced to endure yet another Championship misery when an attempt to clear the ropes off Michael Booth was met with only Alex Davies at long-on.
Warwickshire‘s Division One status is about to expire, but this win looks to have secured it for another year, even if the other teams in the bottom half of the standings are having difficulty in their games around the nation.
