COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Canterbury:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY TWO: Middlesex 155 and 320, Kent 141 and 49-2 (Kent 3pts, Middlesex 3pts)
5-8 August 2009

Gareth Berg struck 13 fours and one six in his 100-ball 98

Gareth Berg fell just short of a maiden first-class century, but still helped Middlesex take the upper hand against Kent on day two at Canterbury.

Berg was caught by Justin Kemp off the bowling of James Tredwell (5-100) for 98 as Middlesex were bowled out for 320 in their second innings.

This left Kent needing 334 in just over two days to deny Middlesex their first Championship win of the season.

Rob Key and Geraint Jones then fell as Kent closed on 49-2.

Beginning the day on 50-1, Middlesex lost four wickets in the opening session, including Sam Robson, who edged Azhar Mahmood to wicketkeeper Jones without adding to his overnight score of three.

Owais Shah was caught by Kemp off Mahmood seven runs later, before Dawid Malan (49) and Eoin Morgan (30) added 50 for the fourth wicket.

Both Morgan and Ben Scott fell to Amjad Khan before lunch, leaving Malan and Berg to lauch the fightback after the break with a stand of 52.

When Malan was caught by Jones to become off-spinner Tredwell's first victim of the day, Berg shared 48 for the seventh-wicket with Murali Kartik (16), before both fell in quick succession to Tredwell.

Chris Silverwood then took the attack to Kent, smashing 46 from 44 balls, with 10 fours, in a ninth-wicket stand of 61 with Tim Murtagh.

When the former Yorkshire paceman was spectacularly caught one-handed by Joe Denly at long-off to become Tredwell's fifth victim, last man Steve Finn fell to Mahmood one run later to signal the end of the Middlesex innings.

The Kent chase started badly, with Key miscuing a pull shot off Finn to Murtagh at mid-on.

And, when Jones edged Silverwood to Morgan at slip, it was left to Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld to see the hosts to the close.

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