Yorkshire and Durham on the brink
YORKSHIRE and Durham appear destined for defeat in their respective County Championship matches.
A Sam Billings-inspired Kent side set Yorkshire a mammoth target of 551 at Headingley.
But the hosts ended the day 44-6, effectively killing off any hopes of a stunning home victory.
Billings, on the fringes of England’s limited overs teams, is making a late play for a winter Test call-up having scored three hundreds in his last three Specsavers Division One innings.
The Kent captain hit 100 in the second innings of last week’s win at Nottinghamshire before adding 138 in the first innings here and then 122 not out off 156 balls.
Kent started their second innings two overs before the close on day two with a lead of 213, opting not to enforce the follow-on.
Billings underpinned their progress to 337 for seven declared overs after tea, leaving Yorkshire with 22 overs of batting before close. They reached 44 for six, four of the wickets going to Darren Stevens.
Much in the way Billings’ firstinnings century was overshadowed by Stevens and his sensational 237, Ollie Robinson’s 97 very much played second fiddle.
The pair shared 124 for the fourth wicket either side of lunch.
Billings played confidently, reaching his fifty off 80 balls with a six off New Zealand Test left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who conceded 100 runs in each innings on his debut.
No team have ever chased more than 502 to win a Championship fixture, while the world record firstclass chase is 536.
Stevens trapped Matty Revis and Adam Lyth lbw and had Gary Ballance caught at second slip as Yorkshire fell to 16 for three.
Matt Milnes later had Harry Brook caught at first slip before Stevens had Tom Kohler-Cadmore brilliantly caught at gully by the diving Ollie Rayner.
Zak Crawley also pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch at third slip to help Milnes remove nightwatchman Steven Patterson, the third wicket to fall on 43 in 12 balls.
Meanwhile, Durham have just two wickets left as Northamptonshire strengthened their promotion hopes.
Ned Eckersley was unbeaten on 54 at the end of day three but the Riverside men are 212-8 and still require 190 if they are to claim the most unlikely of wins at Wantage Road.