Amazing stuff. Overall, it was a crap season, but remembering the chase in the 40 overs against Sussex, the rain denying us against Gloucester (the same day as the Donny Debacle) and finally the run chase today on the last day of the season, there have been some terrific things. Sat here in Spain thinking how much I would have loved to be at Canterbury yesterday! Now to see if we can build a team around Stevens in the close season.
Kent Cricket all-rounder Darren Stevens says his double century against Lancashire was the best innings of his career
by Andrew Gidley
Darren Stevens hailed his match-winning double hundred as the best championship innings of his career as Kent ended a disappointing LV=County Championship Division 2 season with an unlikely two-wicket win over champions Lancashire on Friday.
The 37-year-old all-rounder helped Kent achieve the seemingly impossible by scoring the 418 runs needed for victory, with injured former skipper Rob Key with him at the end, batting despite a broken thumb.
Stevens’ future is uncertain as he faces an International Cricket Council hearing early in the New Year, after being charged with failing to report an illegal approach while playing for the Dhaka Gladiators in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League.
He celebrated in emotional fashion and tweeted: “Special day. Great way to finish a season. Great win. Some good kids coming through. Thx 2 all.”
Stevens faced 218 balls and hit 21 fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 205, the third Adam Ball helped Stevens in Kent’s bid for victory with a career-best 69, adding 148 for the sixth wicket in 35 overs before falling leg-before to Tom Smith with the score on 361, and still 47 needed for victory.
Skipper James Tredwell (11) and Mark Davies both fell in the same over. but Key joined Stevens who fittingly hit the winning boundary, in an incredible finale to a modest campaign. Kent had resumed on 32-1, with Key expected not to appear after being injured fielding the previous day.
The 2013 Walter Lawrence Trophy Winner for the fastest hundred of the year went to Darren Stevens - for the 44 ball hundred v Sussex in the 40 Over League match.
He's had a fantastic season - over 1200 FC runs, 32 FC wickets, four hundreds and two scores in the 90s.
Nothing against the lad but it is rather a sign of the times that we have offered a new contract to Alex Blake.
Alex is almost 25 and has yet to get to a thousand runs in first class cricket with many of those matches not even being CC games. I don't think he started a CC game last year and only played four games in 2012 averaging 17.5.
It's not as if he's 19 or 20 after all and surely if he was really good enough he would have made it by now.
Nothing against the lad but it is rather a sign of the times that we have offered a new contract to Alex Blake.
Alex is almost 25 and has yet to get to a thousand runs in first class cricket with many of those matches not even being CC games. I don't think he started a CC game last year and only played four games in 2012 averaging 17.5.
It's not as if he's 19 or 20 after all and surely if he was really good enough he would have made it by now.
Don't want to break any hearts but my mate reckons Darren Stevens career is over, one of his lecturers at his uni in brighton is a journalist and told him that stevens has been banned from playing cricket. Not really sure if his winding me up or not as he knows I love stevens to pieces.
Don't want to break any hearts but my mate reckons Darren Stevens career is over, one of his lecturers at his uni in brighton is a journalist and told him that stevens has been banned from playing cricket. Not really sure if his winding me up or not as he knows I love stevens to pieces.
He won't be missed:
Batsman Of The Year Bowler Of The Year Fielder Of The year
Don't want to break any hearts but my mate reckons Darren Stevens career is over, one of his lecturers at his uni in brighton is a journalist and told him that stevens has been banned from playing cricket. Not really sure if his winding me up or not as he knows I love stevens to pieces.
The We Are Kent website reckons he is likely to get a 1 year ban which, at 37, probably would be the end of his career.
Don't want to break any hearts but my mate reckons Darren Stevens career is over, one of his lecturers at his uni in brighton is a journalist and told him that stevens has been banned from playing cricket. Not really sure if his winding me up or not as he knows I love stevens to pieces.
The We Are Kent website reckons he is likely to get a 1 year ban which, at 37, probably would be the end of his career.
Not sure Len - a 37 year old Stevens will still be better than anything else we have and given that key might well have retired by then he would be a good player to have around with so many kids in the side.
Don't want to break any hearts but my mate reckons Darren Stevens career is over, one of his lecturers at his uni in brighton is a journalist and told him that stevens has been banned from playing cricket. Not really sure if his winding me up or not as he knows I love stevens to pieces.
The We Are Kent website reckons he is likely to get a 1 year ban which, at 37, probably would be the end of his career.
Not sure Len - a 37 year old Stevens will still be better than anything else we have and given that key might well have retired by then he would be a good player to have around with so many kids in the side.
He's 37 now so if he gets a ban he will be 38 or even older possibly depending on when the ban starts.
Darren Maddy was still playing this season at 39. Stevens is still very fit and I'd rather have him at 38 than say the aforementioned Blake. At worse he could play in our T20 matches. Tambe at 42 has only just started playing them!
Darren Maddy was still playing this season at 39. Stevens is still very fit and I'd rather have him at 38 than say the aforementioned Blake. At worse he could play in our T20 matches. Tambe at 42 has only just started playing them!
I rate Stevens highly and would love to see him continue as long as possible but you have to wonder what toll a year out of the game at his age would take on his reactions and that's why people are suggesting that his career might be over if he is banned.
Blake just isn't good enough unfortunately to make the jump from 2nd X1 cricket to the first class game.
Mark Davies says he is fully focused on earning the mantle of Kent’s premier bowler next season. After being named player- of-the-year in his first season with the club in 2012 – which saw him claim 36 wickets at an average of 19 – the 33-year-old has endured a summer of frustration, being left out of the side for six of Kent’s 16 LV= County Championship Division 2 games.
Davies played the final four championship games, having played in just one of the seven from late May to early September, yet despite the limited opportunities, he claimed 25 championship wickets – fourth-best in the squad – at an average of 25.
He said: “I’ve said all along that picking the team is up to the coach and captain. All I can do is do my best to take the opportunities given to me and every time I’ve played, whether that is for the first-team or the seconds, I’ve done my best and hopefully people realise that.
“I’m top of the averages, the strike rate and the economy and I’m among the leading wicket takers, even though I’ve not played as much. All I can do is keep trying to do my best and get my name in the team.
“I have another year on my contract here so all I’m thinking about is having a break and coming back here and doing my best again for Kent next season.”
Despite a season of frustration, the former Durham man insisted: “It’s certainly not all doom and gloom here.
“There are a lot of positives to take, particularly from the way we finished the season.
“There have been some amazing games for a season which people say has been disappointing, to chase down 400 twice and almost do it again in a 40-over game.”
Kent have already added David Griffiths, Mitch Claydon, Charlie Hartley and Matt Hunn to their bowling ranks for next season and Davies said: “We need to be able to take 20 wickets to give ourselves the best chance of winning games and hopefully we’re showing intent to get that done.”
Davies remains one of the best signings we've made in the last five years. Hope he can steer clear of the injuries that have adversely affected his career.
When we signed him he had the best strike rate of any English qualified fast bowler which rather says it all.
My youngest son starts the next stage of his cricketing journey on Monday with the first of what is effectively a six week trial for the Kent U11 Winter training squad.
Not the be all and end all and whatever happens it will, hopefully, be a great experience for the lad. It will also be interesting to see where he sits against his peers in the County.
My youngest son starts the next stage of his cricketing journey on Monday with the first of what is effectively a six week trial for the Kent U11 Winter training squad.
Not the be all and end all and whatever happens it will, hopefully, be a great experience for the lad. It will also be interesting to see where he sits against his peers in the County.
Just a thought and that is (albeit that nowadays spin bowlers are expected to bowl "liquorice allsorts"), I can't remember Kent ever producing a leg spinner. Probably because they usual end up being smashed out of the park!
I better not tell him the last bit though or he might turn to medium pace trundling!
Cheers MOG and I take your point of course although to be fair to those two, they both opened the bowling at some point in their career. In Stevo's case especially, it was due to a complete lack of options though.
Best wishes to your lad AA. The best county of course. Leg spinners need a strong temperament and positive outlook as they can get some stick. They need to keep coming back for more and have the courage to keep on tossing it up. If mastered it is a wonderful art and in my view the most exciting and attacking type of bowling. Really hope it goes well.
Comments
Stevo - I salute you ! Come back fit & rarin' to go next May, please !!
Kent Cricket all-rounder Darren Stevens says his double century against Lancashire was the best innings of his career
by Andrew Gidley
Darren Stevens hailed his match-winning double hundred as the best championship innings of his career as Kent ended a disappointing LV=County Championship Division 2 season with an unlikely two-wicket win over champions Lancashire on Friday.
The 37-year-old all-rounder helped Kent achieve the seemingly impossible by scoring the 418 runs needed for victory, with injured former skipper Rob Key with him at the end, batting despite a broken thumb.
Stevens’ future is uncertain as he faces an International Cricket Council hearing early in the New Year, after being charged with failing to report an illegal approach while playing for the Dhaka Gladiators in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League.
He celebrated in emotional fashion and tweeted: “Special day. Great way to finish a season. Great win. Some good kids coming through. Thx 2 all.”
Stevens faced 218 balls and hit 21 fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 205, the third Adam Ball helped Stevens in Kent’s bid for victory with a career-best 69, adding 148 for the sixth wicket in 35 overs before falling leg-before to Tom Smith with the score on 361, and still 47 needed for victory.
Skipper James Tredwell (11) and Mark Davies both fell in the same over. but Key joined Stevens who fittingly hit the winning boundary, in an incredible finale to a modest campaign.
Kent had resumed on 32-1, with Key expected not to appear after being injured fielding the previous day.
He's had a fantastic season - over 1200 FC runs, 32 FC wickets, four hundreds and two scores in the 90s.
Alex is almost 25 and has yet to get to a thousand runs in first class cricket with many of those matches not even being CC games. I don't think he started a CC game last year and only played four games in 2012 averaging 17.5.
It's not as if he's 19 or 20 after all and surely if he was really good enough he would have made it by now.
Batsman Of The Year
Bowler Of The Year
Fielder Of The year
We only need three players to replace him!
Blake just isn't good enough unfortunately to make the jump from 2nd X1 cricket to the first class game.
bromleycommon.play-cricket.com/profile/statistics.asp?id=155159&ruleTypeID=6101
Mark Davies says he is fully focused on earning the mantle of Kent’s premier bowler next season.
After being named player- of-the-year in his first season with the club in 2012 – which saw him claim 36 wickets at an average of 19 – the 33-year-old has endured a summer of frustration, being left out of the side for six of Kent’s 16 LV= County Championship Division 2 games.
Davies played the final four championship games, having played in just one of the seven from late May to early September, yet despite the limited opportunities, he claimed 25 championship wickets – fourth-best in the squad – at an average of 25.
He said: “I’ve said all along that picking the team is up to the coach and captain. All I can do is do my best to take the opportunities given to me and every time I’ve played, whether that is for the first-team or the seconds, I’ve done my best and hopefully people realise that.
“I’m top of the averages, the strike rate and the economy and I’m among the leading wicket takers, even though I’ve not played as much. All I can do is keep trying to do my best and get my name in the team.
“I have another year on my contract here so all I’m thinking about is having a break and coming back here and doing my best again for Kent next season.”
Despite a season of frustration, the former Durham man insisted: “It’s certainly not all doom and gloom here.
“There are a lot of positives to take, particularly from the way we finished the season.
“There have been some amazing games for a season which people say has been disappointing, to chase down 400 twice and almost do it again in a 40-over game.”
Kent have already added David Griffiths, Mitch Claydon, Charlie Hartley and Matt Hunn to their bowling ranks for next season and Davies said: “We need to be able to take 20 wickets to give ourselves the best chance of winning games and hopefully we’re showing intent to get that done.”
When we signed him he had the best strike rate of any English qualified fast bowler which rather says it all.
Not the be all and end all and whatever happens it will, hopefully, be a great experience for the lad. It will also be interesting to see where he sits against his peers in the County.
Just a thought and that is (albeit that nowadays spin bowlers are expected to bowl "liquorice allsorts"), I can't remember Kent ever producing a leg spinner. Probably because they usual end up being smashed out of the park!
I better not tell him the last bit though or he might turn to medium pace trundling!
;-)
Hope it goes well & he enjoys it,