County Championship: Jordan Cox hits 207 as Essex dominate Kent

Jordan Cox hit a double hundred on his return to Canterbury as Essex dominated day two of their County Championship game against Kent.

Cox made 207 in his first game back at the Spitfire Ground, hitting 21 fours and five sixes in a 255-ball innings, to help Essex declare on 591-7 before they reduced Kent to 118-4 in reply.

Shane Snater hit a career-best 83 not out and Michael Pepper made 82 for the visitors before Matt Critchley took 2-19, including the key wicket of Kent’s top scorer Ben Compton for 41.

Joe Denly and nightwatchman Matt Parkinson were not out on four and 10 respectively at stumps, with the hosts still trailing by 473 runs.

With Essex on 287-4 overnight, both sides felt the first hour would be crucial and it went the way of the visitors.

Cox had averaged just 24.06 in 2023, his final season for Kent, but he was averaging 66.66 coming into this game and having already scored a century in the fixture at Chelmsford there was an air of inevitability about his march to three figures this time round.

There was polite applause when he reached the landmark with a cover-driven four off Parkinson before Kent enjoyed a glimpse of hope when they took two wickets in nine balls, Pepper and Simon Harmer the players to go.

However, that saw Snater come in and join Cox for the biggest partnership of the innings, taking Essex to 449-6 at lunch.

Cox reached 200 as he and Snater recorded Essex’s biggest seventh-wicket partnership against Kent, beating the 152 mark set in 1992.

When Cox was finally bowled by Marcus O’Riordan, Essex immediately declared and they were rewarded by leaving Kent four down by the close.

Zak Crawley immediately went on the attack but was soon out for 16 while Daniel Bell-Drummond, having been dropped on zero, also fell for 16 to leave the hosts on 48-2 at tea.

Critchley then added the scalps of O’Riordan (30) and Compton in the final session as Essex ended the day firmly on top.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters’ Network