68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
Interesting to see that George Ealham is back with Kent and playing for the 2s tomorrow. George is 20 and along with his younger brother, 18 year old Tommy (sons of Mark and grandsons of Alan) left us three years ago to play for Surrey - both were being educated at Cranleigh school so, geographically, it made some sense for them to join Surrey.
Of the two, I would say that Tommy is, actually, the one with the greater potential but there is no indication that he has re-joined us although he will be taking his A levels shortly so that might still happen during the course of the summer. I mentioned that I had heard that our academy spinner, Joe McCaffrey, had joined Derbyshire (though still no official confirmation) on loan due to limited potential opportunities in our 2s with Logan, Qadri and O'Riordan potentially turning out so Tommy's presence, as a spinner, might muddy the waters - but he could still play for the U18s in the ECB competition.
Interesting to see that George Ealham is back with Kent and playing for the 2s tomorrow. George is 20 and along with his younger brother, 18 year old Tommy (sons of Mark and grandsons of Alan) left us three years ago to play for Surrey - both were being educated at Cranleigh school so, geographically, it made some sense for them to join Surrey.
Of the two, I would say that Tommy is, actually, the one with the greater potential but there is no indication that he has re-joined us although he will be taking his A levels shortly so that might still happen during the course of the summer. I mentioned that I had heard that our academy spinner, Joe McCaffrey, had joined Derbyshire (though still no official confirmation) on loan due to limited potential opportunities in our 2s with Logan, Qadri and O'Riordan potentially turning out so Tommy's presence, as a spinner, might muddy the waters - but he could still play for the U18s in the ECB competition.
Let's hope Grand Dad has taught them about fielding.
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
The competition and wealth of talent might, at some stage, cause us some issues. Denly could be nearing retirement and DBD might be asked to concentrate on white ball but I can't help thinking that Billings' return will create its own issues - we will only have six batting slots and I don't see how Billings, Cox and Robinson can all be accommodated even with Crawley disappearing for England duty. The difference between us and Surrey is that we don't currently have the same issues so far as numbers lost for international duty.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
The competition and wealth of talent might, at some stage, cause us some issues. Denly could be nearing retirement and DBD might be asked to concentrate on white ball but I can't help thinking that Billings' return will create its own issues - we will only have six batting slots and I don't see how Billings, Cox and Robinson can all be accommodated even with Crawley disappearing for England duty. The difference between us and Surrey is that we don't currently have the same issues so far as numbers lost for international duty.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
Ray Willis, what a lovely bloke, great coach. I am very surprised he never took up more of a full-time job with Kent. Lucky enough to shared the cricket field with him, lots of good stories to tell.
Kent are looking pretty strong this year, and have a talented young batsman. Strongest we have been for a number of years, and invested well in overseas players for the year.
Be interested to see how Joe McCaffrey goes, he is a talented leg spinner, but was never sure about other-sides of his game. Another talented lad I played cricket with here in Dubai, who are now in the UK trying to make it. Is Kai Smith of Sandwich, another wicketkeeper batsman, he tried his luck at Kent, but I think the path is blocked by the depth of wicketkeeper batsman. So he is at Warwickshire currently. Simon Willis rates him very highly. He played for the UAE in the recent U19 World Cup which was his 2nd WC as previously played when 15.
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
The competition and wealth of talent might, at some stage, cause us some issues. Denly could be nearing retirement and DBD might be asked to concentrate on white ball but I can't help thinking that Billings' return will create its own issues - we will only have six batting slots and I don't see how Billings, Cox and Robinson can all be accommodated even with Crawley disappearing for England duty. The difference between us and Surrey is that we don't currently have the same issues so far as numbers lost for international duty.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
Ray Willis, what a lovely bloke, great coach. I am very surprised he never took up more of a full-time job with Kent. Lucky enough to shared the cricket field with him, lots of good stories to tell.
Kent are looking pretty strong this year, and have a talented young batsman. Strongest we have been for a number of years, and invested well in overseas players for the year.
Be interested to see how Joe McCaffrey goes, he is a talented leg spinner, but was never sure about other-sides of his game. Another talented lad I played cricket with here in Dubai, who are now in the UK trying to make it. Is Kai Smith of Sandwich, another wicketkeeper batsman, he tried his luck at Kent, but I think the path is blocked by the depth of wicketkeeper batsman. So he is at Warwickshire currently. Simon Willis rates him very highly. He played for the UAE in the recent U19 World Cup which was his 2nd WC as previously played when 15.
Joe is the son of Sky's Rob McCaffrey and started at Kent upon the return of the family from Dubai. His Mum was from Hungary and was a successful at sport in her homeland. Joe is fluent in Hungarian too and trialled at the age of 12 for their national cricket team! He is also a year ahead academically as a result of which he started at Loughborough last September at the age of 18. My son has kept to him on numerous occasions at Kent and says the he has one of the fastest "faster balls" going!
I would also agree about the pathway for young wicket keeper/batsman being blocked which is why anyone who has any aspirations of breaking through, at any county, really has to be good enough as a batsman in their own right. There is only room for one keeper but there are usually spaces for four other batsmen.
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
The competition and wealth of talent might, at some stage, cause us some issues. Denly could be nearing retirement and DBD might be asked to concentrate on white ball but I can't help thinking that Billings' return will create its own issues - we will only have six batting slots and I don't see how Billings, Cox and Robinson can all be accommodated even with Crawley disappearing for England duty. The difference between us and Surrey is that we don't currently have the same issues so far as numbers lost for international duty.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
Ray Willis, what a lovely bloke, great coach. I am very surprised he never took up more of a full-time job with Kent. Lucky enough to shared the cricket field with him, lots of good stories to tell.
Kent are looking pretty strong this year, and have a talented young batsman. Strongest we have been for a number of years, and invested well in overseas players for the year.
Be interested to see how Joe McCaffrey goes, he is a talented leg spinner, but was never sure about other-sides of his game. Another talented lad I played cricket with here in Dubai, who are now in the UK trying to make it. Is Kai Smith of Sandwich, another wicketkeeper batsman, he tried his luck at Kent, but I think the path is blocked by the depth of wicketkeeper batsman. So he is at Warwickshire currently. Simon Willis rates him very highly. He played for the UAE in the recent U19 World Cup which was his 2nd WC as previously played when 15.
Joe is the son of Sky's Rob McCaffrey and started at Kent upon the return of the family from Dubai. His Mum was from Hungary and was a successful at sport in her homeland. Joe is fluent in Hungarian too and trialled at the age of 12 for their national cricket team! He is also a year ahead academically as a result of which he started at Loughborough last September at the age of 18. My son has kept to him on numerous occasions at Kent and says the he has one of the fastest "faster balls" going!
I would also agree about the pathway for young wicket keeper/batsman being blocked which is why anyone who has any aspirations of breaking through, at any county, really has to be good enough as a batsman in their own right. There is only room for one keeper but there are usually spaces for four other batsmen.
That's because we keep producing wicket keepers! Ryan Davies who now seems out of the pro game is still only 25.
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
The competition and wealth of talent might, at some stage, cause us some issues. Denly could be nearing retirement and DBD might be asked to concentrate on white ball but I can't help thinking that Billings' return will create its own issues - we will only have six batting slots and I don't see how Billings, Cox and Robinson can all be accommodated even with Crawley disappearing for England duty. The difference between us and Surrey is that we don't currently have the same issues so far as numbers lost for international duty.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
Ray Willis, what a lovely bloke, great coach. I am very surprised he never took up more of a full-time job with Kent. Lucky enough to shared the cricket field with him, lots of good stories to tell.
Kent are looking pretty strong this year, and have a talented young batsman. Strongest we have been for a number of years, and invested well in overseas players for the year.
Be interested to see how Joe McCaffrey goes, he is a talented leg spinner, but was never sure about other-sides of his game. Another talented lad I played cricket with here in Dubai, who are now in the UK trying to make it. Is Kai Smith of Sandwich, another wicketkeeper batsman, he tried his luck at Kent, but I think the path is blocked by the depth of wicketkeeper batsman. So he is at Warwickshire currently. Simon Willis rates him very highly. He played for the UAE in the recent U19 World Cup which was his 2nd WC as previously played when 15.
Joe is the son of Sky's Rob McCaffrey and started at Kent upon the return of the family from Dubai. His Mum was from Hungary and was a successful at sport in her homeland. Joe is fluent in Hungarian too and trialled at the age of 12 for their national cricket team! He is also a year ahead academically as a result of which he started at Loughborough last September at the age of 18. My son has kept to him on numerous occasions at Kent and says the he has one of the fastest "faster balls" going!
I would also agree about the pathway for young wicket keeper/batsman being blocked which is why anyone who has any aspirations of breaking through, at any county, really has to be good enough as a batsman in their own right. There is only room for one keeper but there are usually spaces for four other batsmen.
That's because we keep producing wicket keepers! Ryan Davies who now seems out of the pro game is still only 25.
Ryan was class, but he suffered mentally.. And enjoyed going out too much. He could have and should have played for England
68-1 at close. Wicket to Gilchrist. Muyeye bowled another 11 overs giving him a total of just under 29 in the match. Compton got to bowl 3 overs too leaving just the two keepers, Cox and Robinson, not to turn their arm over plus, of course, the injured Denly.
So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
When did we last utter those magic words, used 24/7 no doubt by our old mates at The Oval, " spoilt for choice " ?
The competition and wealth of talent might, at some stage, cause us some issues. Denly could be nearing retirement and DBD might be asked to concentrate on white ball but I can't help thinking that Billings' return will create its own issues - we will only have six batting slots and I don't see how Billings, Cox and Robinson can all be accommodated even with Crawley disappearing for England duty. The difference between us and Surrey is that we don't currently have the same issues so far as numbers lost for international duty.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
Ray Willis, what a lovely bloke, great coach. I am very surprised he never took up more of a full-time job with Kent. Lucky enough to shared the cricket field with him, lots of good stories to tell.
Kent are looking pretty strong this year, and have a talented young batsman. Strongest we have been for a number of years, and invested well in overseas players for the year.
Be interested to see how Joe McCaffrey goes, he is a talented leg spinner, but was never sure about other-sides of his game. Another talented lad I played cricket with here in Dubai, who are now in the UK trying to make it. Is Kai Smith of Sandwich, another wicketkeeper batsman, he tried his luck at Kent, but I think the path is blocked by the depth of wicketkeeper batsman. So he is at Warwickshire currently. Simon Willis rates him very highly. He played for the UAE in the recent U19 World Cup which was his 2nd WC as previously played when 15.
Joe is the son of Sky's Rob McCaffrey and started at Kent upon the return of the family from Dubai. His Mum was from Hungary and was a successful at sport in her homeland. Joe is fluent in Hungarian too and trialled at the age of 12 for their national cricket team! He is also a year ahead academically as a result of which he started at Loughborough last September at the age of 18. My son has kept to him on numerous occasions at Kent and says the he has one of the fastest "faster balls" going!
I would also agree about the pathway for young wicket keeper/batsman being blocked which is why anyone who has any aspirations of breaking through, at any county, really has to be good enough as a batsman in their own right. There is only room for one keeper but there are usually spaces for four other batsmen.
That's because we keep producing wicket keepers! Ryan Davies who now seems out of the pro game is still only 25.
Ryan was class, but he suffered mentally.. And enjoyed going out too much. He could have and should have played for England
It is sad what happened to Ryan particularly with regards to guards to his off field issues but he never fulfilled his talent on the pitch either - his CC average was less than 15. He is still playing club cricket and averaged just under 60 for Weston- super-Mare last season and it would be great if he could make a go of it in the pro game. If Ben Compton can do it at 28 then I'm sure Davies could do.
A somewhat "lopsided" 2nd XI started their 4 day game against a youthful Sussex side today (average age 20). When I say "lopsided" I mean in terms of balance. Basically, the eight available pros who didn't play in the 1st team game have been given an outing in a team that has five seamers and four spinners.
Stewart opened the batting and made 70 with O'Riordan (3) followed by George Ealham (8), Blake (9) and Academy product Harry Turner (48). The other main contributors were Qadri with 64 and Klaassen (34) in a total of 296. In reply Sussex are 18-1 with the wicket going to Stewart.
A somewhat "lopsided" 2nd XI started their 4 day game against a youthful Sussex side today (average age 20). When I say "lopsided" I mean in terms of balance. Basically, the eight available pros who didn't play in the 1st team game have been given an outing in a team that has five seamers and four spinners.
Stewart opened the batting and made 70 with O'Riordan (3) followed by George Ealham (8), Blake (9) and Academy product Harry Turner (48). The other main contributors were Qadri with 64 and Klaassen (34) in a total of 296. In reply Sussex are 18-1 with the wicket going to Stewart.
It must be strange for the white ball only players, as they don't play until the end of May
When the Blast starts, the red ball players will have had several CC games to get into form, ditto the IPL players, whereas the likes of Blake and Klassen will be starting from cold
A somewhat "lopsided" 2nd XI started their 4 day game against a youthful Sussex side today (average age 20). When I say "lopsided" I mean in terms of balance. Basically, the eight available pros who didn't play in the 1st team game have been given an outing in a team that has five seamers and four spinners.
Stewart opened the batting and made 70 with O'Riordan (3) followed by George Ealham (8), Blake (9) and Academy product Harry Turner (48). The other main contributors were Qadri with 64 and Klaassen (34) in a total of 296. In reply Sussex are 18-1 with the wicket going to Stewart.
It must be strange for the white ball only players, as they don't play until the end of May
When the Blast starts, the red ball players will have had several CC games to get into form, ditto the IPL players, whereas the likes of Blake and Klassen will be starting from cold
Blake might have had two or three KCL games for Hayes by then of course....
A somewhat "lopsided" 2nd XI started their 4 day game against a youthful Sussex side today (average age 20). When I say "lopsided" I mean in terms of balance. Basically, the eight available pros who didn't play in the 1st team game have been given an outing in a team that has five seamers and four spinners.
Stewart opened the batting and made 70 with O'Riordan (3) followed by George Ealham (8), Blake (9) and Academy product Harry Turner (48). The other main contributors were Qadri with 64 and Klaassen (34) in a total of 296. In reply Sussex are 18-1 with the wicket going to Stewart.
It must be strange for the white ball only players, as they don't play until the end of May
When the Blast starts, the red ball players will have had several CC games to get into form, ditto the IPL players, whereas the likes of Blake and Klassen will be starting from cold
Klaassen has been playing for the Netherlands in recent weeks. Blake was meant to be running the Level 2 coaching course that Seb is on this week (Neil Taylor is doing it instead) but I understand that he wants to be playing more red ball 2s games and it suits Kent to have him as a consistent captain for the 2s rather than someone different for every game.
This time last year we had three pros and the rest of the side made up of triallists and age group players as opposed to the eight pros we currently have in the side. We could see someone like DBD and/or another bowler coming down next week too. Sussex ,on the other hand, are where we were last year - I doubt their side has played half a dozen pro games between them.
Sussex are currently 35-4 with three wickets to Stewart and one to Podmore. This really should be men against boys - the only reason the average age of the Sussex side is as high as 20 is because there is a triallist in the side who is 28 with seven of their side 19 or less. Which all makes, as I posted at the time, how much Sussex wanted to win this last season all the more infuriating:
The 2nd XI T20 Final is currently taking place between Sussex and Yorkshire.
Now I get the need for out of form players to get a run out but, seriously, how do Mitch Claydon (no problem him appearing as the senior pro), Stuart Meaker (ex England and not in the first team so fine), Delwray Rawlins (fixture in the first XI but might need a knock), Ravi Bopara (almost 200 appearances for England so questionable), Phil Salt (getting a bit silly now given how much demand he is in from franchises around the world) and Travis Head (I give up but yes the Australian Test, ODI and T20 international ) ALL get to be picked for Sussex?
Stewart (3), Podmore (2) and Qadri (2) are the wicket takers but Klaassen has gone for 30 in 4 overs! The likes of Singh, Logan and O'Riordan have yet to get a bowl.
Sussex 186 all out. Kent one down without a run scored - O'Riordan out for a duck. Qadri, following his 64 in the 1st innings, has been promoted to opening whereas it appears that Stewart has been "punished" for his 70 by being demoted to 11.
Qadri has retired overnight from the 2s game presumably to join up with the the 1st Team. If we are going to play a front line spinner then he will come in whereas Stewart, who is currently batting, as a seamer, is unlikely to force his way into the 1s in front of those already in situ.
Picked up a niggle and doesn't know how long he'll be out for. He's "Kentised" before he's even bowled or hit a ball in anger!
September 2023
"I've really loved my time at Kent, and am gutted that I wasn't able to play any cricket during my two seasons here. It's been a really frustrating period, but I'm finally back to full fitness now."
Sussex have brought Delwray Rawlins into the 2s game and he has taken 3 wickets already to leave us 66-5 (but possibly 6 given Qadri's absence) and just 176 ahead. Blake is 40 not out.
Sussex have brought Delwray Rawlins into the 2s game and he has taken 3 wickets already to leave us 66-5 (but possibly 6 given Qadri's absence) and just 176 ahead. Blake is 40 not out.
I would class him as a 2nd XI spinner. He bowled poorly in the recent game v Notts when he acted as frontline spinner due to Carson’s injury.
Sussex have brought Delwray Rawlins into the 2s game and he has taken 3 wickets already to leave us 66-5 (but possibly 6 given Qadri's absence) and just 176 ahead. Blake is 40 not out.
I would class him as a 2nd XI spinner. He bowled poorly in the recent game v Notts when he acted as frontline spinner due to Carson’s injury.
To be honest he is somewhat unproven as a CC batsmen too
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So, honours even as were the points at 12 each. One would assume that next weeks game against Lancs will see Crawley in for DBD, Leaning for Denly and Linde for one of Milnes, Quinn or Gilchrist.
Of the two, I would say that Tommy is, actually, the one with the greater potential but there is no indication that he has re-joined us although he will be taking his A levels shortly so that might still happen during the course of the summer. I mentioned that I had heard that our academy spinner, Joe McCaffrey, had joined Derbyshire (though still no official confirmation) on loan due to limited potential opportunities in our 2s with Logan, Qadri and O'Riordan potentially turning out so Tommy's presence, as a spinner, might muddy the waters - but he could still play for the U18s in the ECB competition.
It was only last summer that the likes of Nasser Hussain were talking Robinson up as a potential candidate to take the gloves in Tests but he has to be able to show his worth with the bat on a regular basis in order to do so. Bracey bats at 3 and scored a ton in the current game and whilst his glovework isn't comparable to any of Foakes (who also scored 132 this week batting at 5), Billings or Robinson, Bracey is being given that chance to show his worth in a prime batting slot. Robinson also doesn't feature in our T20 side so that is another restriction so far as showcasing his talent is concerned. Cox rarely gets the opportunity to take the gloves meaning that his batting has to be consistent enough for him to hold down a place in the CC side.
One interesting appointment Kent are looking to fill is keeping and fielding coach. We had been spoilt previously by having Ray Willis in the Kent age group set up (responsible for coaching Ryan Davies, Billings, Robinson and Cox) but haven not had someone specifically to look after all the keepers from the 1st team all the way down to U13s. The timing of this suggests that we are still succession planning for the keeping position even though one would hope that Billings (30), Robinson (23) and Cox (21) will be with us for a long time to come so, perhaps, although I haven't heard anything to this effect, there is a concern behind the scenes that we might lose one of them albeit I believe that the latter two named have signed contracts through to the end of next season.
Kent are looking pretty strong this year, and have a talented young batsman. Strongest we have been for a number of years, and invested well in overseas players for the year.
Be interested to see how Joe McCaffrey goes, he is a talented leg spinner, but was never sure about other-sides of his game. Another talented lad I played cricket with here in Dubai, who are now in the UK trying to make it. Is Kai Smith of Sandwich, another wicketkeeper batsman, he tried his luck at Kent, but I think the path is blocked by the depth of wicketkeeper batsman. So he is at Warwickshire currently. Simon Willis rates him very highly. He played for the UAE in the recent U19 World Cup which was his 2nd WC as previously played when 15.
I would also agree about the pathway for young wicket keeper/batsman being blocked which is why anyone who has any aspirations of breaking through, at any county, really has to be good enough as a batsman in their own right. There is only room for one keeper but there are usually spaces for four other batsmen.
Stewart opened the batting and made 70 with O'Riordan (3) followed by George Ealham (8), Blake (9) and Academy product Harry Turner (48). The other main contributors were Qadri with 64 and Klaassen (34) in a total of 296. In reply Sussex are 18-1 with the wicket going to Stewart.
When the Blast starts, the red ball players will have had several CC games to get into form, ditto the IPL players, whereas the likes of Blake and Klassen will be starting from cold
This time last year we had three pros and the rest of the side made up of triallists and age group players as opposed to the eight pros we currently have in the side. We could see someone like DBD and/or another bowler coming down next week too. Sussex ,on the other hand, are where we were last year - I doubt their side has played half a dozen pro games between them.
The 2nd XI T20 Final is currently taking place between Sussex and Yorkshire.
Now I get the need for out of form players to get a run out but, seriously, how do Mitch Claydon (no problem him appearing as the senior pro), Stuart Meaker (ex England and not in the first team so fine), Delwray Rawlins (fixture in the first XI but might need a knock), Ravi Bopara (almost 200 appearances for England so questionable), Phil Salt (getting a bit silly now given how much demand he is in from franchises around the world) and Travis Head (I give up but yes the Australian Test, ODI and T20 international ) ALL get to be picked for Sussex?
Is winning the 2nd XI comp really that important?
Stewart (3), Podmore (2) and Qadri (2) are the wicket takers but Klaassen has gone for 30 in 4 overs! The likes of Singh, Logan and O'Riordan have yet to get a bowl.
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#m7a101812-11c9-4bd4-aa27-54ade803f659
Ealham out for 2. Blake is now in but rain has stopped play.
The photo on the BBC website makes me feel good as I'm about to tuck into dinner...
"I've really loved my time at Kent, and am gutted that I wasn't able to play any cricket during my two seasons here. It's been a really frustrating period, but I'm finally back to full fitness now."