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Having reached 22/0 from 14 overs at lunch, Jacques Rudolph and James Kettleborough were looking to make further steady progress during the afternoon session. The latter was the first to find the ropes as he nurdled Tom Hampton to third man, before next over Rudolph dis the same to David Payne. But with the total on 38, Rudolph departed l.b.w. to Payne as the left-arm bowler produced a delivery which sharply swung back in to the opener.
Five minutes later a heavy shower crossed the ground, shaving a further four overs from the day’s play. To the second delivery after the resumption, Kettleborough edged Hampton to second slip where Chris Dent failed to cling onto the chance as the ball ricocheted away for four. The opener continued to live dangerously as he swatted Hampton over the heads of the slip cordon before pulling the young seamer over the outstretched hands of mid-on for another four as the fifty came up in the 22nd over.
There was nothing fortuitous though about his next boundary as he crisply off-drove Hampton, and next over Colin Ingram followed suit as he despatched Payne through point. The flurry of fours continued as Kettleborough steered Hampton again through the covers before pulling the next ball to the ropes at mid-wicket. Ingram then launched successive balls from Kieran Noema-Barnett’s through point and extra cover before Kettleborough scythed James Fuller to third man for his ninth four before completing his half-century by square-cutting the bowler for another four.
Ingram also had a moment of good fortune as he inside-edged an expansive drive against Noema-Barnett to fine-leg. But with the total on 109 the South African’s stay at the crease ended as, on 30, he edged a drive against James Fuller with Gareth Roderick completing a regulation catch behind the stumps. Aneurin Donald opened his account by edging both Fuller and Noema-Barnett to third man before Kettleborough clipped Fuller to fine-leg followed by another glide to third man when Hampton retuned at the Ashley Down End.
Donald then unfurled a sumptuous on-drove for four against Hampton before biffing another short ball from the seamer through extra cover. The young tyro also swatted a short ball from Hampton high over the slip cordon for four before Kettleborough delicately late cut a ball from Benny Howell for four, followed by a silky cover drive for his fourteenth boundary and to complete his highest score in first-class cricket.
