Bell-Drummond leads Kent to rare Lancashire win

Daniel Bell-Drummond hit an unbeaten 79 to guide his side to a deserved seven-wicket victory over Lancashire in the Vitality County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.

The Kent captain has now passed fifty in four of his eight innings this season, but he and the rest of the Kent batting line-up had to survive a trial of spin before reaching their target of 164 to secure their county's first win at the ground since 1997.

Both Nathan Lyon and Tom Hartley were called for lbw in the opening hour and umpires Paul Pollard and Graham Lloyd rejected a number of loud appeals as Lancashire sought to win a first-class match for the first time since 1888.

However, Kent's top order kept the scoreboard moving even when batting was difficult and Lancashire did not bowl any maidens on the final day.

The two wickets to fall came from Lyon, who had Ben Compton caught and bowled for 29, ending his 86-run stand with Bell-Drummond, before having Jack Leaning caught at slip by Luke Wells for 16. But those wickets never threatened a collapse and the match ended in a flurry of boundaries as the visitors secured their first win of the season eight minutes before lunch.

Joe Denly struck the winning four and finished with 19 not out. Lyon finished with 2 for 48 from 22 overs, while Hartley took 13 wicketless overs for 42 runs.

It is Kent's first Championship win over Lancashire since 2013 and moves them up to sixth in the First Division table. Lancashire are still without a win this season and remain bottom of the table.