By a Special Correspondent at Canterbury
Second day of three: Oxford Univ (108-4) trail Kent (291-8 dec) by 183 runs
OXFORD captain James Fulton may have to negotiate with opposite number Matthew Fleming to obtain a definite result out of this game, the students final match before the Varsity match which starts on Wednesday.
Two-and-a-half hours were lost in the afternoon due to heavy rain, after which the Kent bowlers checked Oxford's progress. They lost three wickets for only eight runs in the space of 22 deliveries before adding 50 for the loss of Fulton in the final hour, played out in pleasant evening sunshine.
Fulton was delighted with his side's display on the opening day after putting Kent in and restricting them to 169 for seven, but Julian Thompson and Simon Willis responded positively yesterday morning. They added 90 fluent runs for the eighth wicket off 103 balls before Willis's attempt at a late cut was defeated by Mark Waugh. However, Darren Scott marked his maiden first-class innings by finishing on 17 not out as he and Thompson added 57 in 48 minutes before Fleming declared 25 minutes before lunch.
Thompson, Kent's cricketing doctor, has just returned to action after spending three weeks on the sick list with a side strain. Rested and repaired, he duly registered his highest first-class score for the county, passing the 59 not out he made against Warwickshire at Tunbridge Wells last year.
Day 3: Wagh puts Oxford in good heart
By Geoffrey Dean at Canterbury
Oxford Univ (108-4 dec & 241-7) bt Kent (291-8 dec & 57-2 dec) by 3 wkts
A GENEROUS declaration and an excellent 126 from 128 balls from Mark Wagh were the key factors in a last-ball victory for Oxford University, who gained the ideal fillip before tomorrow's University Match.
Oxford, originally set 241, needed 156 from 28 overs after tea, but Kent were now handicapped by a wet ball and they were also hamstrung by the inability of Matthew Fleming to bowl and the absence of debutant off-spinner, Darren Scott, who had to fly to Scotland soon after tea to play for Amateur England today.
With five overs and six wickets remaining, 40 were needed, but Wagh now fell. A draw looked likely when 22 were needed off the last two overs before the penultimate, bowled by Min Patel, cost 14. A leg-bye off the last ball brought the students victory.