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  • #16
    Good to get that first OD win under your belt. Hopefully more to follow.

    Comment


    • #17
      We're away vs Gloucestershire now. Bell-Drummond is still out, so the only change we make is Qayyum in for McBrine. McBrine has been expensive with the ball, and contributed nothing with the bat so far.

      Kent
      Crawley, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Robinson, Blake, Stevens, Stewart, Klaassen, Milnes, Qayyum

      Looks a belting track, and weather is perfect for batting. So after winning the toss, we decide to bat.

      We decided to try and go aggressive at the start but quickly changed plan after Crawley fell when the score was only 8. Dickson wasn't in quite as good knick as the previous match and he eventually fell for 30 off 52 balls, leaving the score 65-2 in the 17th over, with Renshaw looking in fine touch at the other end. He recorded his 2nd consecutive 50 off 52 balls with a slog sweep for 6 - Van Buuren the one on the receiving end. Just as he was starting to really accelerate he fell for a fine 65; bringing last match's hero Robinson to the crease to join Kuhn (16*). Unfortunately the heroics weren't to be repeated as he fell for a duck. Kuhn and Blake were tasked with the rebuilding job, and they did a decent job putting on 66 before Kuhn fell for 59. That brought Stevens to the crease who really injected some life into the innings; the veteran making 56* off 37 balls. Stevens and the tail did a great job at the death.. hitting 96 off the last 10 overs. Qayyum fell last ball of the innings to leave us 285 all out. Van Buuren was Gloucestershire's most successful, but also most expensive bowler - taking 5-71 off his 10.

      With conditions very much in favour of the batsmen we thought it would be a tough score to defend. But we couldn't have got off to a much better start. Firstly, Stevens got the dangerous Hammond for a golden duck in the 1st over. Then quite incredibly Roderick went for a suicidal 2nd run from his first ball and was run out! Glos were 2-2 off 4 balls. Absolute scenes as the very next ball and Cockbain's first, he goes for an audacious cut shot.. edges.. BUT DROPPED by keeper Robinson. Has there ever been a more eventful first over? The drop was proving to be costly as Cockbain was in no mood to hang around, and he raced onto 37 off 26 balls before Stevens trapped him LBW. 49-3 quickly became 161-4 but thankfully we took wickets in consecutive overs, getting both set batsmen; Milnes & Klaassen taking the wickets, after both had conceded expensive opening spells. That left Glos 163-6, needing a further 123 to win. They were in no mood to hang around and continued to blitz boundaries. Qayyum had offered us much more control than McBrine, and was rewarded with the wicket of Howell in the first over of his second spell. Stevens came back and picked up his 3rd wicket, and also saw another dropped catch off his bowling. A 43 9th wicket partnership gave us the jitters, but Klaassen had Payne caught in the slips, and Stewart finished off the innings. Gloucestershire were all out for 242 in the 42nd over. Had they played a bit more sensibly they probably could have chased that target down, they seemed to go too hard throughout the chase.

      Kent - 285 all out - 50 overs (Renshaw 65, Kuhn 59, Stevens 57*; Van Buuren 5-71)
      Gloucestershire - 242 all out - 41.2 overs (Taylor 46; Klaassen 3-51, Stevens 3-54)

      Kent win by 43 runs
      Points: Kent 2, Gloucestershire 0
      MOTM - Darren Stevens


      A brilliant match for Stevens, deservedly winning MOTM, and a solid all round performance from the team. A trip to winless Glamorgan next.

      Comment


      • #18
        After 2 wins on the bounce, we stick with the same side. Bell-Drummond is fit again, so one more poor performance from Crawley or Blake could see them getting dropped next match.

        Kent
        Crawley, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Robinson, Blake, Stevens, Stewart, Klaassen, Milnes, Qayyum

        Looks another good track, and weather is set good. It might take a bit of spin later so after winning the toss, we decide to bat.

        We somehow found ourselves 74-4, before a record 5th wicket partnership stand vs Glamorgan between Robinson and Blake recovered our position. Blake brought his 50 up from 70 balls, before falling for 64 - a good knock and the end of a 110 partnership. We were 184-5 going into the last 10. Robinson brought up his 4th 50 of the season, this one off 83 balls. We struggled in the last 10 and only managed 61 runs in this period. We ended the innings 245-7 with Robinson unbeaten on 78. De Lange picked up 3 wickets for Glamorgan but it was the spinner Rafiq who we really struggled against, his figures reading 2-41, but he also beat the bat numerous times.

        After a 60 run opening stand, Klaassen got the breakthrough wicket of Hemphrey. One brings two as Labuschagne was out for a golden duck leaving Klaassen on a hatrick, Billy Root defending the hatrick ball. Unfortunately for us Selman was going very well at the other end, before eventually falling to Milnes for 62, with the score now 130-3 (28). Meanwhile Root had been riding his luck at the other end with a dropped catch and numerous LBW / caught behind appeals before he eventually fell for 39 after we reintroduced Stewart into the attack. We knew if we took one more wicket we were very much in the game and we did just that when Klaassen followed in the footsteps or Milne and Stewart by taking a wicket in the 1st over of his 2nd spell. Glamorgan were 157-5 after 34, needing a further 89 to win. Unfortunately a quick fire 48 partnership between Wagg and Cooke took the game away from us, and 3 late wickets couldn't stop Glamorgan reaching their target in the penultimate over with 2 wickets spare. Spin was once again our achilles heal with Qayyum offering no threat on a spinning track, going for 66 in 10 overs.

        Kent - 245-7 - 50 overs (Robinson 78*, Blake 64; De Lange 3-60)
        Glamorgan - 248-8 - 48.1 overs (Selman 62, Cooke 50*; Milnes 3-43, Klaassen 3-53)

        Glamorgan win by 2 wickets
        Points: Glamorgan 2, Kent 0
        MOTM - N Selman


        A disappointing result against a weak side. We need to rethink the balance of the bowling attack with our spinners really struggling so far.
        Last edited by jazzyfizzle0; 06-23-2019, 10:29 AM.

        Comment


        • #19
          Next up is an away tie vs Surrey. McBrine has been selected by Ireland and Denly by England (even though he hadn't returned to us yet anyway). Bell-Drummond comes in for Crawley, and we give Riley a go as the spinner.

          Kent
          Bell-Drummond, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Robinson, Blake, Stevens, Stewart, Klaassen, Milnes, Riley

          We won the toss and chose to bat

          Bell-Drummond could only make 19 on his return, and Renshaw didn't last long. We were 58-2 after the powerplay. Dickson was going along nicely, and brought up 50 off 72 balls. Kuhn had fallen at the other end but we were in a decent position at 144-3 after 30 overs. We ended up reaching 270-6 at 50 overs, Dickson fell just after bringing up a century, although his strike rate had dropped dramatically towards the end.

          Game was in the balance at the halfway stage and we knew we'd have to bowl well to defend this. But WOW what a start.. very first ball of the innings the dangerous Jason Roy edges to slip off Stevens. Stewart got Burns in his 2nd over and Surrey were struggling at 21-2 after 4 overs. Surrey lost wickets quick, none of their batsmen dug in and they crumbled to 92 all out. The fantastic Milnes got 5 wickets for 21 runs - a Kent record vs Surrey. Riley also picked up 2 wickets in his 2 overs, so will certainly keep his spot.

          Kent - 270-6 - 50 overs (Dickson 102)
          Surrey - 92 all out - 22.4 overs (Milnes 5-21)

          Kent win by 178 runs
          Points: Kent 2, Surrey 0
          MOTM - Matt Milnes


          A great win vs a strong side. We are 5th in the table and will certainly need to win our last 2 vs Middlesex and Essex to qualify.
          Last edited by jazzyfizzle0; 06-23-2019, 10:29 AM.

          Comment


          • #20
            First up, we're home to Essex, and we remain unchanged for this one.

            Kent
            Bell-Drummond, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Robinson, Blake, Stevens, Stewart, Klaassen, Milnes, Riley

            We lost the toss and got asked to bowl - a shame as we wanted to bat first again in this one.

            Our opening bowlers bowled well once again, with Essex 39-1 after the powerplay; Stewart with the wicket of Cook. Klaassen came on and removed the other opening - Chopra - with his 2nd ball. Milnes then removed Westley, but the Essex recovery was led by Ten Doeschate; the Dutchman bringing up 50 off just 44 balls, hitting all around the ground. Just as Essex were threatening to get away, Stevens came back for his second spell and removed Tendo & Wheater in the space of 3 balls. Essex were now 122-5 in the 25th, and we were already into the bowlers, with Essex deciding to opt for 5 out-and-out bowlers today. Delport and Harmer put on 40 before Klaassen removed the former for 33. Can we get them out under 200? After Riley took some treatment (sigh), Klaassen picked up 3 wickets in his final over, the Dutchmen impressive once again, finishing with 5-50 from his 10 - a Kent record vs Essex & record figures at Beckenham. We decided to bring our strike bowler Milnes back, and he dutifully did his job by removing Porter, and wrapping up the Essex innings for 190.

            It was overcast, and the pitch was offering something for the seamers so we knew it wouldn't be as simple as it seemed. Bell-Drummond and Dickson settled the nerves, with us reaching 45-0 off the powerplay. Bell-Drummond fell for 40, and Dickson shortly after for 41 to leave us 99-2. Runscoring was proving difficult but we eventually got home with 7 balls to spare and only 3 wickets down. Renshaw (61*) and Robinson (20*) seeing us home.

            Essex - 190 all out - 40 overs (Ten-Doeschate 55; Klaassen 5-50)
            Kent - 194-3 - 48.5 overs (Renshaw 61*)

            Kent win by 7 wickets
            Points: Kent 2, Essex 0
            MOTM - Fred Klaassen


            We go into our final match in 5th position. Our opponent - Middlesex - are level on points in 4th, then Somerset are also level on points in 3rd, with Sussex 2 points ahead in 2nd. So we need to beat Middlesex and hope one of Somerset/Sussex lose, as only 3 sides qualify.
            Last edited by jazzyfizzle0; 06-25-2019, 06:57 PM.

            Comment


            • #21
              Home again for our final group game, and we remain unchanged. We came into the game with the good news that Matt Milnes bowling technique had improved.

              Kent
              Bell-Drummond, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Robinson, Blake, Stevens, Stewart, Klaassen, Milnes, Riley

              We won the toss and chose to bat. A tricky decision as conditions were likely to remain similar throughout, and we've won the same amount of games batting first as we have bowling first. Ultimately I've felt slightly more comfortable defending a score.

              We got off to a pretty poor start, only reaching 32-1 off the powerplay; Dickson the man to fall for 3. Bell-Drummond and Renshaw recovered well to take us past 100 before DBD fell for 57 with the score at 105-2 in the 24th over. Renshaw brought up his 4th half-century of the competition, but can he convert this one into a century? He did just that in the 43rd over, bringing up the landmark off 117 balls. We were 201-3 with 7.5 overs remaining. A spectacular late collapse meant we only mustered 227-8 from our 50 overs. Very disappointing.

              Perhaps our total wasn't so bad.. Stevens trapped LBW in the 3rd over, and Stewart trapped Eskinazi LBW in the 4th over, leaving Middlesex 8-2. This brought Ross Taylor to the crease to join Malan. The international pair brought up a 100 partnership before Stewart had Malan caught behind. Taylor 72* (75) was in ominous form at the other end though. Klaassen and part-timer Bell-Drummond removed Holden and Taylor. Middlesex needed a further 55 to win, but we had got into the bowlers (another long tail!). 2 further wickets including wicket-keeper batsman Simpson had Middlesex 189-7, requiring 39 more still. Stevens then had Murtagh at 209-9. A dramatic finish was on the cards, Bamber walking out to join Roland-Jones (14*). Some good hitting meant they only needed 5 more to get with 2 overs left. Scenes in the 48th over when we had 3 appeals in a row, but the finger didn't go up - Stewart the unlucky bowler. Annoyingly for us we had used all of our seamers overs in chase of a wicket, so we had to turn to Bell-Drummond in the 49th. First ball of the over we induce the edge...... But it rolls to the boundary for 4. Scores were level. Another appeal for caught behind not given off the 3rd ball, before Roland-Jones pierces the infield next ball. Middlesex had remarkably done it, the last wicket pair putting on an unbeaten 22. Gutting!

              Kent - 227-8 - 50 overs (Renshaw 101, Bell-Drummond 57; Roland-Jones 3-35)
              Middlesex - 231-9 - 48.4 overs (Taylor 82)

              Middlesex win by 1 wicket
              Points: Kent 0, Middlesex 2
              MOTM - Toby Roland-Jones


              In the end the loss didn't matter much as Somerset and Sussex both won. We would have needed a comprehensive win to boost our NRR and overtake Somerset.
              Last edited by jazzyfizzle0; 06-23-2019, 07:53 PM.

              Comment


              • #22
                A pretty decent One-Day campaign overall with 4 wins and 4 losses, especially considering we were missing the services of Denly & Billings. Renshaw & Robinson were the stand-out batsman, both averaging 50+. The rest of the batting was pretty inconsistent. I thought our seam bowling was outstanding throughout, all 4 main bowlers taking 10+ wickets. Our lack of decent spinner was probably the difference between qualifying and not, with Qayyum, Riley & McBrine only taking 8 wickets between them.

                Top Batsmen - Runs

                Matt Renshaw - 352 @ 50.29
                Ollie Robinson - 305 @ 61.00
                Sean Dickson - 261 @ 43.50
                Heino Kuhn - 233 @ 29.12
                Alex Blake - 186 @ 26.57

                Top Bowlers - Wickets

                Matt Milnes - 20 @ 17.50
                Fred Klaassen - 17 @ 19.53
                Grant Stewart - 13 @ 19.31
                Darren Stevens - 10 @ 27.90
                Bell Drummond, Qayyum, McBrine - 3 each

                Highest Total: 285 vs Gloucestershire @ Bristol
                Lowest Total: 164 vs Hampshire @ Canterbury
                Highest Individual Innings: Sean Dickson 102 vs Surrey @ South London
                Best Bowling: Matt Milnes 5-21 vs Surrey @ South London
                Highest Partnership: Alex Blake & Ollie Robinson 110 for the 5th wicket vs Glamorgan @ Cardiff

                Click image for larger version

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                Comment


                • #23
                  Good effort Jazzy, not a bad start at all.
                  Proudly supporting Nottingham Forest and Nottinghamshire CCC.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    So we return to FC cricket with a home tie vs Yorkshire. They were missing all their England players, and had no overseas player so it seemed a good time to play them. We make 2 changes from our last List A game, with Crawley & Podmore returning to the side in place of Blake & Klaassen. Klaassen really impressed in LA so he will be eagerly waiting for his opportunity. We had made 1 change from our previous FC game, with Riley coming in for McBrine (still away with Ireland).

                    Kent
                    Crawley, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Bell-Drummond, Robinson, Stevens, Stewart, Podmore, Milnes, Riley

                    Yorkshire opted for a toss, we lost the toss and were asked to bowl. Weather was set fair throughout, there was a bit of cloud about so we would try to make use of that in the first session.

                    Evergreen Darren Stevens removed Lyth cheaply for 8, and Milnes took a wicket in his first over - that of Fraine for 21 - to leave Yorkshire at 33-2. Conditions turned overcast just after midday so we asked our seamers to bowl full to try and extract movement. It worked instantly with Stewart picking up a wicket in his first over. Kohler-Cadmore was playing aggressive, and particularly targeting Milnes, so we decided to give Milnes a break and bring Podmore back on which also worked a treat with him bowling Kohler-Cadmore with his 3rd ball of 2nd spell for 26. Yorkshire were 63-4 and in some bother. Leaning and Tatterstall really dug in, taking just 2 runs off the bat in the next 7 overs, and they made it to lunch still 4 down. Conditions did ease up after lunch and Yorkshire managed to score a bit quicker, but they kept losing wickets and it meant we got them all out for 215, 34 minutes before close. It could have been better if not for some late resistance from Duanne Olivier who made 36*. No batsman passed 50, with Waite top scoring with 40. For the first time this season we showed some threat with spin, Riley picking up 3 key middle order wickets. Milnes also ended with 3.

                    We made it through a tricky period unscathed, reaching close at 18-0, although Crawley had been given a lifeline when he was dropped in the slips in the last over of the day. The openers continued well on Day 2 before Dickson was the first to fall. The top 5 all made scores between 25-60 but frustratingly nobody could convert into a big 100. 3 batsmen made 50 then out shortly after. (is this a bug?? it seems to have happened a lot). The tail didn't offer much resistance (only one other player made it to double figures - Stewart 12) and we fell to 265 all out, a 50 run lead.

                    In Yorkshire's 2nd innings we kept taking wickets at good times. Yorkshire were 166-5 (116 lead) and we were firmly on top. However, a massive 160 partnership between Tattersall & Waite took the game away from us. Once we finally broke the partnership we managed to get the tail cheaply and Yorkshire were all out for 358, meaning we would be chasing 309 for victory with 1 day and 16 minutes remaining. The only positive for this innings was that Riley was our best bowler, and managed to get 5 wickets for 89, cementing his place as our no.1 spinner (at least for the next few games).

                    The pitch was now offering uneven bounce, and turning for the spinner, so 309 in just over a day would be very tough, and Olivier got the wicket of Crawley in the last over of Day 3 to confirm that. Thinking 289 would be too much, we decided to dig in for the first session, and assess from there. We lost the wickets of Renshaw and Kuhn in the morning, but made it to lunch 107-3. Yorkshire's attacking fields meant there were plenty of runs on offer and Dickson (42*) & Bell-Drummond (19*) were going ok. We made it through the next hour unscathed, and Yorkshire now were giving us a defensive field. With both batsmen settled we slightly upped the aggression. Dickson fell 45 mins before tea, with still 159 remaining which felt too much, so we decided to just play for the draw. Unfortunately Robinson and Stewart fell for 7 & 10 respectively, taking us to 213-6 at tea, needing 96 to win after Stewart hit some early boundaries. All 3 results were still possible. We raced to 256-6 with still 90 minutes remaining, and the win now looked in sight. Bell-Drummond was playing an incredible innings and brought up a century with 35 runs required. The feat was brought up in 198 balls. Stewart was supporting ably and he was 40* (50) at the other end. He fell for 42 with 31 still to win. Could the tail survive? Quite incredibly rain stopped play with an hour of play remaining?! We lost 37 minutes, meaning there were just 5 overs left to get 29 runs. We couldn't quite do it, falling short by 8 runs, 8 wickets down. Unbelievable.

                    Yorkshire - 215 all out (Riley 3-39, Milnes 3-63)
                    Kent - 265 all out (Kuhn 55, Renshaw 54, Crawley 52; Olivier 5-44)
                    Yorkshire - 358 all out (Waite 89, Tattersall 79; Riley 5-89)
                    Kent - 300-8 (Bell-Drummond 114*, Dickson 64; Olivier 4-87, Patterson 3-41)

                    Match Drawn
                    Points: Kent 10, Yorkshire 9
                    MOTM - Daniel Bell-Drummond


                    Can't quite believe what happened at the end there, I don't even remember rain being on the radar!! We feel completely robbed of victory, and heartbreak for Bell-Drummond after taking us so close.
                    Last edited by jazzyfizzle0; 06-25-2019, 07:01 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      On the back of my last post, is anyone else having an un-proportionate amount of batsmen getting out just after reaching 50? Feels like it's happening a lot to me. Think it's 11 times now I've had batsmen out between 50-60.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Next up, home to Surrey. It's 20th May and Denly and Billings are both still away presumably at the IPL although it should have finished by now no?? We are unchanged.

                        Kent
                        Crawley, Dickson, Renshaw, Kuhn (c), Bell-Drummond, Robinson, Stevens, Stewart, Podmore, Milnes, Riley

                        Surrey opted for a toss, we won the toss and chose to bat. Weather looked glorious throughout the game so we'd need to aim for a big score.

                        We made it to lunch 98-2 with the loss of Dickson (9) and Renshaw (30). Crawley had notched up 50 for the 4th time in 5 FC matches and Kuhn had just joined him. Tom Curran picking up both wickets. Crawley was playing beautifully, and brought up his 2nd ton of the season off just 147 balls. Remarkably he'd given away 0 chances along the way, not even a 'played & missed.' We reached tea at 218-3, Bell-Drummond now the man alongside Crawley. Unfortunately Crawley fell just after tea for an excellent 120. Bell-Drummond continued his great form, and raced to 50 off 69 balls - although there was a stroke of fortune when Surrey keeper Pope dropped a regulation catch when he was on 44. We closed the day 349-6 with DBD on 97* and Stewart once again proving valuable with the bat; unbeaten on 38*. Bell-Drummond brought up his 100 in the second over of Day 2, with the feat coming off 137 balls. He's now scored 216* unbeaten runs across his last 2 innings. Stewart fell for 46 but he'd put on a great 98 run partnership (a record 7th wicket stand at Beckenham) with Bell-Drummond. We brought up 400 and maximum batting points with 4 balls to spare. Could we get towards 500? Bell-Drummond brought up his 150*, but we were now 9 down. Riley admirably stuck around for 57 balls and put on 58 with DBD for the last wicket, before Bell-Drummond eventually fell for a brilliant 182 - meaning he'd made 296 runs between dismissals. We were 485 all out, and in a great position.

                        We had Surrey reeling at 44-3, but a 100 partnership between Stoneman & Pope recovered their position at the end of Day 2 to 167-3. We were left rueing a dropped catch in the slips for the wicket of Stoneman. We were finding chances near impossible to come by; Pope (83), Stoneman (110), J Clark (92) & R Clarke (75) piled on the runs before Surrey eventually declared at 502-9, with 50 minutes remaining of Day 3. Podmore was our best bowler and managed to get a 5-fer. Stevens & Riley shared 2 each.

                        Crawley fell early, but Dickson (67) and Renshaw (72*) helped themselves to 50's on a lifeless pitch. We declared an hour before close at 218-5 to give the bowlers a run out.

                        Podmore picked up the wicket of Elgar in the first over, but Burns and Borthwick saw out the rest of the day. Match drawn

                        Kent - 485 all out (Bell-Drummond 182, Crawley 120; Borthwick 4-81)
                        Surrey - 502-9d (Stoneman 110, Clark 92, Pope 83, Clarke 75; Podmore 5-106)
                        Kent - 218-5d (Renshaw 72*, Dickson 67; Morkel 3-67)
                        Surrey - 27-1

                        Match Drawn
                        Points: Kent 12, Surrey 12
                        MOTM - Daniel Bell-Drummond


                        Consecutive MoTM awards for DBD and he leads the run charts for the division after 4 matches. We currently sit 5th with 3 draws and 1 loss. That first victory can't be too far away. We were encouraged by the fact Billings & Denly came to cheer on the lads on the 4th day, after they arrived home from the IPL. Our assistant also gives us the good news that Ollie Robinson has improved his batting, and Podmore has improved his bowling technique.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          We're away at Essex next, and with the return of Denly & Billings we now have a selection dilemma. Whilst he was fantastic in the 50-over competition, young Robinson hasn't quite been able to transfer his form into FC, averaging under 30 so far this season, so it's a straight swap with Billings for the gloves, who also takes the captaincy and slots in at 6. Kuhn has been the weakest of our top 5 this season across both formats, so he drops out for Denly who will bat at 4. We make one further change with Blake coming in at the expense of Stevens who has been poor with both bat and ball recently. With Denly offering us a bowling option we feel it's unnecessary having the extra bowler, and Blake has been in great form for the 2nd XI.

                          Kent
                          Crawley, Dickson, Renshaw, Denly, Bell-Drummond, Billings, Blake, Stewart, Podmore, Milnes, Riley

                          Weather looks great for the duration of the match once again, and the pitch looks a good batting track. We opt for the toss, which we win and choose to bat.

                          We were in all sorts of trouble at 91-5 at lunch, with Denly (34*) the only one offering some resistance. It wasn't a happy return for Billings though, with the captain falling for a golden duck. Porter and Harmer had picked up 2 wickets each. We needed a big partnership between Denly and Blake (0*) in the afternoon. Blake fell first ball after lunch, and Stewart shortly after. Some counter attacking by Podmore took us past 150 but Denly fell one shy of 50 to leave us 162-8. Podmore brought up his 3rd career 50, before becoming Porter's 5th scalp. Milnes fell shortly after tea, and we had finished on a poor 193 all out, Jamie Porter picking up 6 wickets. We'd need something special from the bowlers.

                          Billings return was turning into a disaster, dropping opener Haque when the score was only on 20. Fortunately he redeemed himself by taking the catch of Haque for 20 off the bowling of Milnes. Denly's return was turning out far more successful than Billings, as he took the wicket of Westley in his 2nd over. However, Cook & the rest of the Essex team showed there were no demons in the pitch, with the ex-England captain scoring a mammoth 190 in his teams total of 425 all out. Things were looking a lot worse at 400-4, but a late flurry of wickets from Milnes and Podmore saw Essex lose 6 for 25. Milnes bagged his first FC career 5-fer in the process.

                          We were staring down the barrel 232 runs behind with still 2 days of play remaining. Could we put up a fight? A run out in the 4th over suggested not, well done boys. This set the scene for the day, and we were clearly playing on a different pitch to Essex. We fell to 210 all out, Denly the only man offering resistance with 73. Shoutout to Blake who bagged a pair on his first FC appearance of the season.

                          Kent - 193 all out (Podmore 55; Porter 6-44)
                          Essex - 425 all out (Cook 190, Lawrence 93, Bopara 67; Milnes 5-85)
                          Kent - 210 all out (Denly 73; Rankin 4-42)

                          Essex win by an innings and 22 runs
                          Points: Essex 22, Kent 1
                          MOTM - Alistair Cook


                          Our first really poor performance of the season, and we currently sit 6/8, although we have played a game more than the two below us. Pretty frustrating after a couple of draws we could have easily won. Hopefully we can put it behind us. Up next we are home to Somerset who currently sit bottom of the league. A big game.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            We had a 10-day break before the Somerset game. In that time Somerset (8th) and Yorkshire (7th) both picked up wins, so we now found ourselves bottom of the table, with Somerset 7th. Grant Stewart picked up a knee injury and is out for 3 weeks, which is unfortunate as he had been pretty reliable with the ball. Milnes' bowling technique had improved again, he has taken 19 @ 25.74 so hopefully he can keep that kind of form up, and Robinson's batting has improved also. We bring Stevens back in for Stewart, and Kuhn back in for Blake. We've prepared a seamers wicket, so Klaassen gets a call up at the expense of Riley. Hopefully Klaassen can replicate the form he showed in the 50-over comp, he's been picking up wickets for the 2nds so gets an opportunity here, in what will be his first FC appearance for the club. Denly will be our sole spinner.

                            Kent
                            Crawley, Dickson, Renshaw, Denly, Bell-Drummond, Kuhn, Billings (c), Stevens, Podmore, Klaassen, Milnes

                            We lost the toss and was asked to bowl.

                            We were glad losing the toss when we had Somerset 39-3; Stevens making the most of his recall with 2 wickets. A 42* unbeaten partnership between Hildreth and Rouse recovered Somerset's position somewhat as they reached lunch at 81-3. Stevens bowled Hildreth first ball after lunch for 46, then removed Davies LBW not long after for his 4th wicket. Gregory made a quick 21 before Milnes trapped him LBW to leave Somerset 123-6. An annoying 78 run partnership between Rouse and Van Der Merwe was broken with a brilliant diving catch in the slips, catching Vd Merwe for 40 off Podmore. However, resistance from Bess (65) and Rouse (90) meant Somerset made 319. Really frustrating from 123-6. Stevens ended with 6 wickets.

                            Conditions weren't so good on day 2, with a bit more cloud cover. Hopefully we could get through it and build a lead. No. 4-2 after 3 overs, both openers in the shed. 129 all out and asked to follow on

                            We showed a bit more fight in the 2nd innings, ending Day 2 179-3 (11 runs behind) with Crawley 86*. Crawley fell for 99 and we once again collapsed. Why does it feel like I'm always relying on one person per innings?

                            Somerset reached their target of 102 with 7 wickets to spare, and still 4 sessions of play remaining.

                            Somerset - 319 all out (Rouse 90, Bess 65; Stevens 6-77)
                            Kent - 129 all out (Overton 5-31)
                            Kent - 291 all out (Crawley 99, Renshaw 57; Gregory 3-76, Leach 3-76)
                            Somerset - 102-3

                            Somerset win by 7 wickets
                            Points: Kent 3, Somerset 22
                            MOTM - Craig Overton


                            We lost the game when we allowed Somerset to make 196 for their last 4 wickets in the 1st innings. Bottom of the league, but still plenty of games left.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Next up we're home to 2nd place Notts. We make 1 change with Robinson coming back in for Dickson. Renshaw will open the batting with Crawley.

                              Kent
                              Crawley, Renshaw, Denly, Kuhn, Bell-Drummond, Billings (c), Robinson, Stevens, Podmore, Klaassen, Milnes

                              We win the toss and bat

                              It's perfect weather, so no excuses with the bat this time. We were 81-3 at lunch, with Crawley (2), Denly (11) & Kuhn (27) back in the shed. Renshaw - by far our best batsman this year - hit a 50 on his first game as opener, with the feat coming off 125 balls. A very good 2nd session saw us put 106 for no wicket, with Renshaw (90) closing in on a hundred, and Bell-Drummond (47) closing in on 50. Both brought up their milestones, and the 150 partnership, before Broad struck with the new ball, bowling Renshaw for 105. Billings fell for 6, we could do with our captain finding some form soon. We reached close of play at 264-5. Slow progress today, but we needed to make sure we made a competitive score after a string of poor performances. Bell-Drummond (77) and Robinson (14) the men still in. Bell-Drummond fell for 90 which is a shame.. but he'd done his job. Stevens fell for 17, but Robinson was showcasing why we should never have dropped him. He'd played some lovely shots on his way to making 50. The score was 348-7, could Robinson and the tail make it to 400? We fell 13 short, making 387 all out. A good score. Notts opening bowlers Broad and Pattinson were by far their most threatening throughout the game, the pair sharing 6 wickets.

                              We had Notts in trouble at 25-3 with Podmore and Stevens in the wickets. We created chances but Slater and Libby dug in and made a century stand, before Stevens had Slater caught behind coming back for his 2nd spell. A quick 50 from Moores brought Notts back into the game. But 3 quick wickets at the start of Day 3 put us back on top, with Klaassen picking up his maiden FC wicket when bowling Pattinson. Broad hit his first 50 in 80 years and allowed Moores to bring up 150. Once again we gave up a great position and were utterly hopeless on a wearing pitch. Tripe. Notts ended with a 41 lead

                              Somehow we were on the back foot, and would have to bat well on a worn pitch vs a very strong attack. Bat well did we not, which was inevitable really. Closed Day 3 167-7 with just a 126 run lead. We would somehow need to bat for at least the morning session, but were already into the tail. I said we needed Billings to find form soon, and he was our only batsman (so far) to bring up 50. Podmore was resilient at the other end. Could we hold out? Billings eventually fell for 75 just 7 minutes before lunch. A fine effort though, with him and Podmore sharing a century stand and a record 8th wicket stand vs Notts. We were all out for 274 13 mins after lunch, Podmore the last man to go for a brilliant 47. Pattinson had taken 7-72 for Notts!

                              We had a 233 lead with just under 2 sessions remaining. Would Notts go for it? It looked like they were, but we were plugging away and taking wickets regularly. 129-3 suddenly became 138-7!! All recognised batsmen had been removed, with Stevens and Milnes doing the damage. Incredibly Stevens picked up 2 wickets from the next 3 balls to make it 139-9, and a 5 wicket haul for Stevens. Milnes finished it off in the next over and Notts were 141 all out, losing the final 7 wickets for 12 runs. Extraordinary!!

                              Kent - 387 all out (Renshaw 105, Bell-Drummond 90, Robinson 64; Broad 3-64, Pattinson 3-83)
                              Nottinghamshire - 428 all out (Moores 150, Broad 79, Libby 78, Slater 54; Milnes 3-87, Stevens 3-105, Podmore 3-107)
                              Kent - 274 all out (Billings 75; Pattinson 7-72)
                              Nottinghamshire - 141 all out (Stevens 5-31, Milnes 4-31)

                              Kent win by 92 runs
                              Points: Kent 22, Nottinghamshire 7
                              MOTM - Ollie Robinson



                              What a crazy game. Robinson got MoTM but the true heroes are Billings and Podmore for their important 100 partnership Day 4 morning session. We move from the foot of the table, ahead of Yorkshire by just 3 points, and 13 behind Somerset.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Warwickshire at home was next. Stevens picked up an injury in between games, but Stewart was available again. However, Haggett had been bowling well for the 2nds so he gets a call up. The rest were unchanged.

                                Kent
                                Crawley, Renshaw, Denly, Kuhn, Bell-Drummond, Billings (c), Robinson, Haggett, Podmore, Klaassen, Milnes

                                The forecast was good for Day 1 but poor on Day 2, so ideally we wanted to bat first. We won the toss and indeed chose to bat

                                Scoring was hard work throughout the innings. Renshaw continued his good form with another half-century, ably supported by Kuhn who picked up a much needed 50. We were 146-2 but collapsed to 159-5. Billings fell one short of 50 to follow up his heroics in the last game, but Robinson batted well, especially with the tail to notch up another half-century before falling as the last wicket. We were 294 all out. It was a strange looking scorecard, with 6 players falling for single-digit scores.

                                Weather conditions were very much in our favour with a bit of rain around, and the rest of Day 2 expected to be overcast. Unfortunately rain wiped out most of the day. We did manage 24 overs, and Warwickshire closed on 70-3. Conditions were a bit easier of Day 3 but we kept plugging away. Haggett bowled exceptionally well on his first appearance of the season, picking up 5-56, which happens to be a career best, and his maiden career 5-fer. Warks ended 252 all out, which was 42 short of us. 9 Warks players made double figures but only one passed 50.

                                With just 4 sessions left on the match, a draw seemed extremely likely. However, as this season has shown, never rule out a Kent collapse! 62-3 at the close of Day 3. Bell-Drummond and Denly batted very well at the start of Day 4. With conditions extremely bowler-friendly they both made personal 50's in a 98 run stand, broken 4 minutes before lunch when Denly fell LBW. The lead was 190 at lunch. We could think about a declaration in the next session, and we did just that 30 minutes before tea at 224-8, a lead of 266. Robinson ending 26*. Ollie Stone had picked up 5 wickets, to go with 3 in the 1st innings.

                                Rain stopped play after 3 overs, and we lost about 15 overs. When we resumed Rhodes and Sibley saw out the rest of play, hitting 22 runs off the bat from 25 overs bolwed.

                                Kent - 294 all out (Robinson 73, Kuhn 69, Renshaw 62; Brookes 4-66, Stone 3-92)
                                Warwickshire - 252 all out (Burgess 51; Haggett 5-56)
                                Kent - 224-8 (Bell-Drummond 71, Denly 50; Stone 5-63)
                                Warwickshire - 28-0

                                Match Drawn
                                Points: Kent 10, Warwickshire 10
                                MOTM - Ollie Stone


                                Unfortunately Yorkshire had won which meant we found ourselves bottom again, 10 points behind Yorkshire and Somerset.

                                Comment

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