Pendulum swings Yorkshire's way

Yorkshire were indebted to Rana Naved-ul-Hasan after his three quick wickets put the home side back in charge in their LV County championship clash with Kent at Scarborough.

Neil Dexter had given the visitors the advantage with 105 but Rana struck to claim three wickets without conceding any runs as Kent closed on 273 for five, a lead of 43 but with only five wickets remaining.

Yorkshire are once more favourites to go on to record their third championship win of the season and move away from the lower reaches of the table.

It was only the second championship century of Dexter’s career and earlier this summer he spent a spell on loan with Essex because he could not gain a regular place in the Kent side.

Opener Joe Denly and Dexter shared a spirited second-wicket stand of 132 in 34 overs and once Denly had gone for 66, Martin van Jaarsveld helped Dexter continue the revival with another century partnership.

Yorkshire, 409 for seven overnight, chose to bat on in the morning but Adil Rashid fell lbw to the sixth ball from Amjad Khan which nipped back and trapped him lbw and in his next over Khan had Matthew Hoggard taken at second slip by Darren Stevens.

Yorkshire were 417 for nine but captain Darren Gough and last man Deon Kruis each blasted a six while putting on 40 together, the stand ending when Gough swung off-spinner James Tredwell to Robert Key at square-leg.

Neil Dexter scored his second ever championship hundred

Robbie Joseph and Khan emerged as the most successful bowlers with three wickets apiece but improved batting conditions and several missed chances had made life difficult in the field for Kent.

Yorkshire, anxious for a win to get away from the relegation zone, may even have contemplated the possibility of victory inside three days when a great ball from Hoggard was edged to Jacques Rudolph at first slip with the score on 23.

But when Andrew Gale dropped Denly’s carve to Rana at third man it proved to be an expensive miss.

Denly was 17 at the time and he and Dexter went on to add a further 100 runs before the partnership was broken shortly before tea.

Gough followed Hoggard in bowling a good spell from the Trafalgar Square End but both batsmen showed plenty of enterprise as they each cruised past the half-century mark.

Leg-spinner Rashid caused Dexter one or two anxious moments and Denly drove him high towards long-off where Hoggard was never quite able to get in position to take the catch.

Hoggard returned for a second spell and made the breakthrough Yorkshire were seeking by producing a good ball which left Denly and went straight to Anthony McGrath at second slip. Denly had faced 120 balls for his 66 and hit nine handsome boundaries.

Dexter and van Jaarsveld took Kent in to tea on 182 for two and they remained generally untroubled after the interval - van Jaarsveld, a century-maker in the first innings, taking consecutive cover boundaries off Gough.

A classic off-drive from Dexter against Kruis brought him his century off 184 balls with nine fours and a six and the shot also wiped out the arrears for the visitors.

Van Jaarsveld’s 50 was completed off 78 balls with eight boundaries but then Rana produced a cracking delivery which rattled the top of Dexter’s off-stump and in his next over he bowled nightwatchman Martin Saggers with a yorker.

Rana continued to cause havoc by having Stevens caught at short-leg without scoring but van Jaarsveld weathered the onslaught to end unbeaten on 61.

Rana finished with 3-53 off 11 overs with Hoggard closing on 2-46 off 15.