THIS was very nearly the mother and father of all slip-ups by a Yorkshire team who gained a first innings advantage of 230 and ended up hanging on for dear life with nine wickets down in their second innings.

The county's last-wicket pair of Matthew Hoggard and Deon Kruis survived the final 28 balls of the match after Kent had turned the contest on its head in a fashion that could not have been anticipated at the halfway stage.

Hoggard faced 50 deliveries for an unbeaten four, while Kruis survived 12 deliveries for an undefeated one.

It was 6.20pm on a chilly Saturday evening when Hoggard kept out the last ball from Amjad Khan as six slips converged like vultures, with Kent left to a rue a number of near misses in the closing overs and a lost opportunity to go top of the Championship.

Yorkshire finished on 175-9 from 51 overs, 29 short of a target of 204 after they had finally dismissed Kent for 433 in their second innings after the visitors had begun the final day on
273-5, just 43 in front.

The home team will wonder how a third County Championship victory of the season went begging after they had performed so well during the first two days, and a draw with maximum bonus points was insufficient to lift them out of the relegation zone and kept them eighth in Division One.

Yorkshire have every reason to believe they can still get out of trouble, however, in a table that remains more congested than the A64 to Scarborough.

Remarkably, Yorkshire are only 21 points behind leaders Nottinghamshire, but their hopes of mounting a late bid for the title may well have evaporated with this result, which has left them with no margin for error and only three games to go.

Understandably, Yorkshire's immediate emotion after this match was not one of self-recrimination but relief, for their goose had looked cooked when Adam Lyth was their eighth batsman to fall with the total on 135 after he had made his second half-century of the game on his club ground.

At that stage, there were still 15 overs to go and plenty of reasons for Yorkshire to fear the worst, but Darren Gough and Hoggard resisted gamely for 11 overs until Gough was superbly caught one-handed by Robert Key at backward-point off Khan.

Gough's 32 from 51 balls followed his 33 in the first innings and the captain enjoyed a good match, bowling well and without much luck, but he would have been disappointed that Yorkshire did not ensure they had a much lower target to chase after the final day had got under way in glorious sunshine.

Kruis struck twice during the first hour to york Geraint Jones and have Martin van Jaarsveld caught with the aid of a splendid one-handed slip catch by Anthony McGrath, but the script did not go to plan as Kent continued their doughty resistance of day three.

Not until the last over before lunch did Yorkshire finally claim the eighth wicket, Gough having Ryan McLaren caught behind for a dogged 35, which brought to an end a defiant stand of 78 with James Tredwell, who went on to 54 from 81 balls with six fours and a six before becoming Adil Rashid's solitary victim in 37 overs when he was caught at slip.

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan wrapped up the innings when he had Robbie Joseph caught at short-leg to finish with 4-86, Khan left undefeated on 21.

Yorkshire's target was stiffer than had seemed likely, but it was still eminently gettable on a pitch that had hardly degenerated into a minefield.

Yorkshire made a disastrous start, however, slipping to 25-3 inside seven overs to set the tone for a tense denouement.

Michael Vaughan was first to go, the former England captain falling for a 14th-ball duck when he edged to second slip.

Andrew Gale was given out leg-before to a delivery he clearly thought was drifting down leg-side, and Anthony McGrath was also caught at second slip.

When Jacques Rudolph was bowled with the total on 60, McLaren somehow finding a way through the South African's defences, the alarm bells started ringing.

But Lyth calmed nerves with some delightful off-side play and Gerard Brophy appeared well set until, with the total on 93, the wicketkeeper inexplicably heaved horribly at Darren Stevens's first ball and was caught at mid-on.

Rashid edged Stevens to first slip and Rana Naved picked out deep mid-wicket as Yorkshire tumbled to 119-7.

Lyth went to his half-century from 78 balls before flashing to first slip, thereby perishing in careless fashion for the second time in the match after batting so well, but the Whitby-born 20-year-old is a fine prospect and will learn to eliminate such errors with experience.

Indeed, had some of Yorkshire's more experienced batsmen displayed Lyth's talent and application, there would have been no need for Hoggard's and Kruis's late, late show.

Another draw came at Hove, where Nottinghamshire went top of Division One after taking 12 points against Sussex.

Sussex batsman Murray Goodwin frustrated the title-chasers with a brilliant century.

The home side began the final day on seven without loss in their second innings, still 212 runs short of making the visitors bat again.

But they refused to buckle and reached 243-3 before the game was declared drawn, with Goodwin reaching 101 not out.

Barely any less important than Goodwin's knock was the innings from opener Michael Yardy, who dug in for a patient 93 before his was the third wicket to fall, with Sussex by that stage having edged ahead of Nottinghamshire.

Lancashire and Surrey predictably saw no play again as their match, which never got started at Blackpool, was declared a draw.

MAN OF THE MATCH

MARTIN VAN JAARSVELD: The South African enjoyed a fine match for the visiting team, scoring 107 and 73.