Chapple inspires Lancashire triumph

Glen Chapple led Lancashire to an astonishing LV County Championship win against Kent at Liverpool which renews their hopes of avoiding relegation from Division One.

The Red Rose county bowled the visitors out for just 92 in their pursuit of 163, completing a 70-run victory.

Visiting pace bowler Yasir Arafat had earlier polished off Lancashire’s second innings with the three wickets of Chapple, Gary Keedy and Oliver Newby in a 10-ball spell.

The Red Rose county were bowled out for 288 - the highest score of the match - with Chapple beginning his remarkable day with 45 off 71 balls.

Pakistani Arafat finished with impressive figures of 4-41 from 14 overs while Amjad Khan did not bowl on day three but had already recorded 3-53 from 12 overs.

At that stage Kent looked red-hot favourites to put themselves back in the title race.

But with the way the wicket had been over the first two days there was just had the feeling that Lancashire were not out of the game, and that was how it proved.

Glen Chapple has Darren Stevens caught by Stuart Law for nought as Kent crumble

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Chapple claimed stunning figures of 6-40 from 19 overs and Tom Smith chipped in with 3-28 from 13.5 overs.

Newby began the tumble of wickets when he bowled Joe Denly for a duck in his first over, the second of the innings. Denly had recorded a pair.

Geraint Jones, who made 91 in the first innings, was caught behind by Luke Sutton off the bowling of Chapple for nought to leave the score at 10 for two.

Rob Key hit Newby for two consecutive straight boundaries in the eighth over of the innings to ease the pressure on his side and Martin van Jaarsveld cracked the same bowler for a consecutive six and four in his next over.

But Key was sent on his way by Chapple, caught behind by Sutton, for 14. That left the score at 29 for three.

The veteran all-rounder got his third scalp on the same score when Darren Stevens was brilliantly held by a diving Stuart Law at second slip.

And Justin Kemp played an ill-advised cut to be caught at point by Francois du Plessis to give Smith his first wicket. That was 30 for five.

Kent advanced to 38 for five at lunch but the wickets kept on tumbling after the break. Chapple trapped danger man van Jaarsveld in front for 23 to leave the score at 57 for six in the fifth over after lunch.

Arafat followed caught behind off the inside edge by Sutton, again off the bowling of Chapple.

And the 34-year-old dismissed James Tredwell in the same mode to leave the score at 70 for eight.

Smith grabbed his second wicket by comprehensively bowling Khan five runs later. And he completed victory when he trapped Ryan McLaren (27) in front.

There were 11 ducks in the match and there were 12 lbws. Kent are out of the title race and are plunged into a last week relegation scrap having conceded 76 extras in the course of this match.