Kent (171 & 332) lost to Warwickshire (549-7dec) by an innings and 46 runs in County Championship Division 1 at Canterbury

Kent suffered an innings defeat after failing to extend their LV= Insurance County Championship Division 1 clash with Warwickshire into a final day at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Resuming on 55-1, half-centuries from Harry Finch and Jack Leaning plus a rain delay gave Kent hope but Warwickshire took the last three wickets in the space of just 10 balls to complete victory by an innings and 46 runs.

Kent made steady, albeit slow progress, early on but lost Ben Compton when he nicked Oliver Hannon-Dalby (4-59) behind for 26.

Joe Denly made 45 from 105 balls but fell to the same combination, caught by Michael Burgess after the ball seemed to ricochet off his pads, to leave them 86-3.

Finch and Leaning batted through till rain brought an early lunch at 12.52pm. Play resumed at 2.15pm, with nine balls bowled before a second, briefer delay of 20 minutes, resulting in a cumulative loss of nine overs.

The duo’s resistance was Kent’s biggest stand of the match and worth exactly a hundred, but it ended when Leaning fell into a trap. With three fielders crowding the bat on the leg side he tried repeating a shot he’d played in Robert Yates’ previous over and this time the bowler had him caught by Jacob Bethell for 64 in 72 balls.

Jordan Cox lasted 17 balls before he tried to sweep Yates and was lbw for four, leaving Kent on 223-5 at tea.

Finch’s obdurate innings came to an end when, having made 67 in just over three hours, Chris Rushworth bowled him off stump with the new ball. Then Henry Brookes had Joey Evison caught behind for 37, and at 267-7 it seemed only a matter of time.

Grant Stewart decided to have some fun, whacking successive sixes off Rushworth including one that went into a third-tier balcony in the Old Dover Road flats