Kent CCC 2023

We have now added insult to injury by making a complete mess of what should have been a relatively simple run out. All immaterial given that Lancs have now won. 

A 3rd wicket to Parkinson

307-6 off 45.1

19 needed off 29 balls

19 off 24

How ridiculous is it that we now have a 19 day gap before our next game? Kids off school, glorious weather and everything in place for these Kent players to go and have a two week holiday somewhere exoctic!

moutuakilla said:

Warks 93 all out against Hampshire in the one day cup semi

There was me thinking, given Sky are currently showing a repeat of The Hundred matches, that domestic cricket had finished for the summer. It rather says it all that the ECB and Sky have such little regard for the 50 over competition that they can't even provide full TV coverage.

That said, I've just seen Liam Dawson's somewhat remarkable bowling figures: 6.5-0-15-7

I've mentioned in the last couple of years three players to look out for who are all now 17 - one was Jaydn Denly and the other two were Ekansh Singh and Barney Ford. Most have now seen Jaydn play but the other two haven't had the same level of exposure for differing reasons. 

Ekansh is a really classy opener who I first saw play against Seb when he was 13 and then a couple of years later playing with Seb in a Kent age group side and who has probably only has one real fault in my opinion and that is that he gives his wicket up when he should be going on to making big scores - his innings in the Kent League Championship Division reflect that as he has been out six times between 25 and 48 from 11 innings and hasn't hit a 50. I'm sure that the determination not to give it up will come with maturity and in the Kent U18s three-day match, against Sussex, finishing today he hit 78 and 88 out of team totals of 196 and 164 respectively. Knowing the lad he will still have beaten himself up for not converting those innings into tons but, given that Jaydn scored 46 and 15, these two innings serve to demonstrate how far ahead he is of the current 17/18 year olds bar Jaydn.

Barney's season has been affected by injury but he has returned in the last couple of weeks and as a left arm quick he is just what Kent need. He is still quite raw, as one would expect of a 17 year old, but has returned for Dartford figures of 10-1-42-3 (Bromley), 9.3-1-43-6 (Beckenham), 10-2-43-5 (Whitstable) and 8-0-25-3 (Canterbury) in the second tier of the Kent League. There is plenty to work on but the ability is there and he is definitely one of our most promising quicks in recent years. Here's hoping that he manages to steer clear of injury.

There is one other talent that I should mention and who has been a bit forgotten for reasons I will explain is Vish Parakirama. Vish is in the same age group as the others mentioned and\ has always been a dominant batsman (big for his age too) and handy spinner but, sadly, he has had to miss the whole of this season with what was described to me as being "quite a serious" injury. The fact that he was a fixture in the Kent 2s as a 16 year old last season says as much as we need to know about his talent and we can only hope that he returns fit and able in time for next season. 

One other aspect I should add to all of this and that is that players mature at different times in sport and cricket is no exception in that respect. For every Jaydn Denly there is a 21 plus year old (and even the likes of Ben Compton who didn't really get a proper First Class opportunity until he was 28) where things don't fall into place until much later. Equally, some young talents fail, for whatever reasons, to ever fulfil their early promise.