This is O'Riordan's final FC game tbh. Drink it in
The selection truly made absolutely no sense whatsoever, we do have a tendency to keep players on who are clearly not good enough to be back ups. Resting agar was a complete nonsense
I've not been following this game closely, but what are the injuries to Garrett and Gilchrist?
Garrett has a groin injury. Not sure what has happened to Gilchrist.
Gilchrist had a sore back but should be fit for Friday if selected. That suggests that he might have been fit to bowl but we took the view that it would be better for him not to aggravate the situation especially as we didn't have many runs to defend.
Annoyed to read on the KCCC email tonight that the 2's match v Middx next Monday, due to be played at TW has been switched to the Polo Farm, Canterbury as the outfield won't be up to scratch.
Half term & local so was planning to take 8 year old Jacob as he was interested ( well, slightly) in last season's televised T20s.
Annoyed to read on the KCCC email tonight that the 2's match v Middx next Monday, due to be played at TW has been switched to the Polo Farm, Canterbury as the outfield won't be up to scratch.
Half term & local so was planning to take 8 year old Jacob as he was interested ( well, slightly) in last season's televised T20s.
That's a real shame Fanny.
TW played a Kent Premier League game against Canterbury there some 10 days ago with the likes of Marcus O'Riordan (Kent 1s) and Ben Dawkins (Kent 2s) playing. Something not right there which makes me wonder whether it is the actual square rather than the outfield which isn't up to scratch - that match on 11th May was the first played on the Nevill main pitch and teams batting there first in adult matches this season have been 78 all out, 129 all out, 82-5 (off 100 balls) and 133 all out. Bickley are there on Saturday and the decision whether to bat first might be an interesting one.
I’m starting to lose patience with this rotating malarkey. Swanepoel now needs a rest after two games and stobbo is nowhere to be seen. Where are the wickets coming from apart from agar? It all Genuinely feels absolutely pointless
Both Gilchrist and Garrett still injured I assume, to add to the endless list of injuries
Gilchrist, Garrett, Quinn and Cohen are all injured and despite what we were originally told, Stobo is not being allowed to play due to an agreement with have with Western Australia and Cricket Australia. How restrictive that agreement is hasn't been declared. Any three from those five seam bowlers being available might have softened the blow of having to rest Swanepoel.
We should also remember why fast bowlers like Archer are migrating to T20 cricket. Swanepoel, for example, could have played in 15 T20s for the equivalent of the two CC matches he has played. It's not just the number of overs - it's those overs being bowled so close together. Including friendlies, that will be 10 red ball matches we will have played in the first 9 weeks of the season. We will also have completed half of our CC fixtures for the season before the end of May - in July/August we might well have played two spinners and one less seamer but that option has been taken away from us by the ECB. The fact that England's four spinners that toured India namely Leach, Bashir, Hartley and Ahmed have 13 wickets between them tells us all we need to know about how redundant a spinner can be at this time of year in county red ball cricket.
Both Gilchrist and Garrett still injured I assume, to add to the endless list of injuries
Gilchrist, Garrett, Quinn and Cohen are all injured and despite what we were originally told, Stobo is not being allowed to play due to an agreement with have with Western Australia and Cricket Australia. How restrictive that agreement is hasn't been declared. Any three from those five seam bowlers being available might have softened the blow of having to rest Swanepoel.
We should also remember why fast bowlers like Archer are migrating to T20 cricket. Swanepoel, for example, could have played in 15 T20s for the equivalent of the two CC matches he has played. It's not just the number of overs - it's those overs being bowled so close together. Including friendlies, that will be 10 red ball matches we will have played in the first 9 weeks of the season. We will also have completed half of our CC fixtures for the season before the end of May - in July/August we might well have played two spinners and one less seamer but that option has been taken away from us by the ECB. The fact that England's four spinners that toured India namely Leach, Bashir, Hartley and Ahmed have 13 wickets between them tells us all we need to know about how redundant a spinner can be at this time of year in county red ball cricket.
When will Quinn be back?
Modern bowlers don't seem very durable, when compared to the old county trundlers who would bowl thousands of overs. And it does feel that when we sign bowlers, we end up with the ones with dubious fitness records, when you contrast us with say Essex, with the likes of Cook and Porter.
Modern bowlers don't seem very durable, when compared to the old county trundlers who would bowl thousands of overs. And it does feel that when we sign bowlers, we end up with the ones with dubious fitness records, when you contrast us with say Essex, with the likes of Cook and Porter.
Both Gilchrist and Garrett still injured I assume, to add to the endless list of injuries
Gilchrist, Garrett, Quinn and Cohen are all injured and despite what we were originally told, Stobo is not being allowed to play due to an agreement with have with Western Australia and Cricket Australia. How restrictive that agreement is hasn't been declared. Any three from those five seam bowlers being available might have softened the blow of having to rest Swanepoel.
We should also remember why fast bowlers like Archer are migrating to T20 cricket. Swanepoel, for example, could have played in 15 T20s for the equivalent of the two CC matches he has played. It's not just the number of overs - it's those overs being bowled so close together. Including friendlies, that will be 10 red ball matches we will have played in the first 9 weeks of the season. We will also have completed half of our CC fixtures for the season before the end of May - in July/August we might well have played two spinners and one less seamer but that option has been taken away from us by the ECB. The fact that England's four spinners that toured India namely Leach, Bashir, Hartley and Ahmed have 13 wickets between them tells us all we need to know about how redundant a spinner can be at this time of year in county red ball cricket.
When will Quinn be back?
Modern bowlers don't seem very durable, when compared to the old county trundlers who would bowl thousands of overs. And it does feel that when we sign bowlers, we end up with the ones with dubious fitness records, when you contrast us with say Essex, with the likes of Cook and Porter.
There is a premium for bowlers that carry no baggage!
The 2s are playing a T20 game against Surrey today. Captaining the side is Billings but keeping is George Maddy, the 18 year old son of Darren. Playing for Surrey are the likes of Roy and Evans.
As much as we bemoan our lack of bowling firepower, it is not difficult to recognise where the main issues lie. Not enough runs on the board in the first innings and then it becomes a question of whether we can survive in the second innings. These are the bonus points for all the counties:
Batting
18 16 16 13 12 11 8 8 8 5 (us)
Bowling:
18 17 16 16 16 15 13 (us) 13 10 8
So we are 5 bowling points below the best side but 13 (and the worst performing) batting points below the best. In fact, we are second bottom in the table but the team above us, Worcestershire, are the only team not to win a game this season (and have lost more than us too) but it is because they have picked up 29 bonus points, as opposed to our 18, that we sit in the relegation zone.
Essex win the toss and bat first. not sure about anyone else, but This line up would just about finish mid table in division 2 let alone one.
Think there needs to be a real discussion regarding if being in division 1 is doing Kent more harm than not.
We have to be in top division because if we aren't then we will see any decent players we do have (or ones coming through) having absolutely no reason to stay.
A disappointing lack of batting talent coming through at the moment. The posh schools of Kent aren't doing as good a job as the posh schools of Surrey!
A disappointing lack of batting talent coming through at the moment. The posh schools of Kent aren't doing as good a job as the posh schools of Surrey!
Kent CCC still reaping the rewards of generations of ignoring talented kids unless they're at a handful of the poshest schools and affiliated to the select few clubs. The chinless wonders in charge will cheerfully pay bundles for some never going to make it aussie or afrikaans makeweight who might play every other match, rather than recruit, nurture and promote the talent on their own doorstep.
A disappointing lack of batting talent coming through at the moment. The posh schools of Kent aren't doing as good a job as the posh schools of Surrey!
Principally because there aren't so many posh schools in Kent as there are in Surrey. The likes of Tonbridge, for example, have many boys that are from Surrey anyway and the ones in North Kent are close enough to Surrey for parents to send them to a county that can offer more anyway. I will always remember when Seb played a rugby game for his school (Chis & Sid) at Whitgift and his team turned up with the basic 15. Whitgift had eight subs, all of which were attached to a pro club, three pro coaches (as opposed to Chis & Sid's sole master) and an ambulance on standby! The game was stopped 10 minutes early to save any more humiliation with the score on 92-0.
Of course, the irony cannot be lost on the fact that Jordan Cox, born and bred in Kent, but now playing for Essex actually went, along with his brother, to Felsted School as did Will Buttleman, Derek Pringle, John Stephenson, Tim Phillips and Nick Knight.
But we are trying to bring through Jas, Ara, Jaydn, and a few other youngsters too, whatever school they went to.
I've umpired Harrow, KCS Wimbledon, Hampton, Emmanuel, and Tiffin schools this season, plus LSCA, and none of the kids were as good as those at Tonbridge last year (bar one overseas student at Harrow named Matthew Miller, a Jamaican fast bowler very much in the Joffra Archer mould).
Comments
Gilchrist had a sore back but should be fit for Friday if selected. That suggests that he might have been fit to bowl but we took the view that it would be better for him not to aggravate the situation especially as we didn't have many runs to defend.
Half term & local so was planning to take 8 year old Jacob as he was interested ( well, slightly) in last season's televised T20s.
TW played a Kent Premier League game against Canterbury there some 10 days ago with the likes of Marcus O'Riordan (Kent 1s) and Ben Dawkins (Kent 2s) playing. Something not right there which makes me wonder whether it is the actual square rather than the outfield which isn't up to scratch - that match on 11th May was the first played on the Nevill main pitch and teams batting there first in adult matches this season have been 78 all out, 129 all out, 82-5 (off 100 balls) and 133 all out. Bickley are there on Saturday and the decision whether to bat first might be an interesting one.
We should also remember why fast bowlers like Archer are migrating to T20 cricket. Swanepoel, for example, could have played in 15 T20s for the equivalent of the two CC matches he has played. It's not just the number of overs - it's those overs being bowled so close together. Including friendlies, that will be 10 red ball matches we will have played in the first 9 weeks of the season. We will also have completed half of our CC fixtures for the season before the end of May - in July/August we might well have played two spinners and one less seamer but that option has been taken away from us by the ECB. The fact that England's four spinners that toured India namely Leach, Bashir, Hartley and Ahmed have 13 wickets between them tells us all we need to know about how redundant a spinner can be at this time of year in county red ball cricket.
My choice would be O 'Riordan but given the weakness of our batting that may not be the case.
Modern bowlers don't seem very durable, when compared to the old county trundlers who would bowl thousands of overs. And it does feel that when we sign bowlers, we end up with the ones with dubious fitness records, when you contrast us with say Essex, with the likes of Cook and Porter.
Edit - Billings is keeping after all
https://x.com/KentCricket/status/1793653499127013850
Batting
18
16
16
13
12
11
8
8
8
5 (us)
Bowling:
18
17
16
16
16
15
13 (us)
13
10
8
So we are 5 bowling points below the best side but 13 (and the worst performing) batting points below the best. In fact, we are second bottom in the table but the team above us, Worcestershire, are the only team not to win a game this season (and have lost more than us too) but it is because they have picked up 29 bonus points, as opposed to our 18, that we sit in the relegation zone.
Think there needs to be a real discussion regarding if being in division 1 is doing Kent more harm than not.
The chinless wonders in charge will cheerfully pay bundles for some never going to make it aussie or afrikaans makeweight who might play every other match, rather than recruit, nurture and promote the talent on their own doorstep.
Of course, the irony cannot be lost on the fact that Jordan Cox, born and bred in Kent, but now playing for Essex actually went, along with his brother, to Felsted School as did Will Buttleman, Derek Pringle, John Stephenson, Tim Phillips and Nick Knight.
I've umpired Harrow, KCS Wimbledon, Hampton, Emmanuel, and Tiffin schools this season, plus LSCA, and none of the kids were as good as those at Tonbridge last year (bar one overseas student at Harrow named Matthew Miller, a Jamaican fast bowler very much in the Joffra Archer mould).