Willis praises captain Key as Kent hold out for draw

Kent“s Professional Cricket Manager, Simon Willis (pictured), was full of praise for captain Rob Key as he led from the front in today“s LV County Championship draw at Derbyshire. The skipper hit an unbeaten 141 as Kent battled out for a draw on their final day of their match against Derbyshire. He shared in stands of 133 with wicketkeeper Geraint Jones (60) and an unbeaten 194 with Martin van Jaarsveld (101 not out).

Commenting on the Kent performance, Willis said: “It“s been an interesting couple of games for us just recently. We had to play some positive cricket against Surrey to chase down those runs and then had to bat time today to see out the draw. The captain led from the front in both matches. He hit a quick fire 50 to see us well on our way against Surrey and then helped us save the game today by playing it ball by ball. He sets a great example to all of those around him. The best players produce big innings in big games and Keysy does it consistently for us.”

Willis was quick to praise Key but wanted to congratulate the whole team after their battling performance on the final day: “It was pleasing to come out of the game with a draw as we didn“t bat well in our first innings. Still, Keysy scored a crucial hundred and received good support from both Jaare and Geraint. It was pleasing to see us hold out and it keeps us clear at the top of the Championship.”

After battling it out for a draw in the County Championship, Kent now return to one-day action when they play Lancashire Lightning in the NatWest Pro40. The Kent Spitfires top the table by a point with just three matches to play. Kent have gone with a more youthful squad for the Pro40 and Willis says it has taught everybody a fair amount: “It“s been very interesting and we have learnt a lot from it; both players and coaches. The individuals that we“ve brought in have, perhaps, performed better than we expected. The young guys can only gain positives from playing in the first-team. They get the opportunity to learn from our players and see the opposition close-up. It is valuable experience for them and will serve them well.”

And what of the threat from Lancashire? “They are always a good side. They have some talented players and are only just behind us in the table. It should be a good game. Hopefully we can get a positive result as it will set us up nicely for our final two home matches in this competition.”

Kent have named a 12-man squad for the game: Northeast, Tredwell, Blake, Jones (W), Stevens, Kemp (C), Mahmood, Goodman, Coles, Ferley, Edwards, Dixey

If you are not going to Old Trafford then you can hear live ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio Kent. Just click on the following link http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/sport/live/nb/rm/audio/sol_now2b_nb.ram

Picture: Terry Mahoney