James Tredwell on Kent Spitfires’ T20 debut

On June 16th, 2003, at a sunny County Ground, Beckenham, supporters flocked to see Kent play in a new format – Twenty20 cricket.

Kent Spitfires’ all-time highest T20 wicket-taker, James Tredwell, was a part of the original Kent Spitfires Twenty20 side, who ran out as winners in the first T20 match in the Club’s history, against Hampshire.

He went on to make 142 T20 appearances for Kent, taking 119 wickets.

We chatted to ‘Tredders’ to remember the Spitfires’ first foray into the shortest form of the game.

View the full scorecard of Kent Spitfires vs. Hampshire Hawks in the 2003 Twenty20 Cup >>>

• What did you originally think of new format and did you imagine it would get as big as it has?

“I think we were all excited about to play a new version of cricket that everyone was talking about, but also slightly sceptical.

“We’d all played a version of T20 of an evening or at school, but if I’m honest, I think most treated it as a bit of fun and slightly differently to the other forms.

“I think we all quickly realised it would be a success though.”

• What memories do you have of that first game at Beckenham in 2003?

“I remember that I was tasked with batting at number three, which was a sign of how all teams looked to change things slightly for this new form of the game.

“I swashbuckled a few runs [24 from 14 balls] and also realised how good Wasim Akram was as a bowler!

“My overriding memory though has to be Andrew Symonds’ innings, which was brutal [96 from 37 balls]. He definitely hit at least one monster six into Crystal Palace’s training ground next door.”

• Do you think some players found it difficult to adapt to T20? Who naturally took to it?

“I think some of the senior players had more difficulty adapting as they had shaped their whole careers around playing a different way, although saying that when people had mentally accepted it, generally the best players were still the best.

“Mark Ealham and Andrew Symonds were two examples of this and were certainly a major part of that team.”

• Was T20 cricket as much of a priority for counties as it is now?

“Definitely not. It was so new and there were a lot of sceptics at the time.

“The County Championship and 50-over competition was definitely prioritised higher during the early years.

“I think after a season or two it certainly became more popular until it was played internationally and then came extra opportunities with the Indian Premier League (IPL) taking off as much as it has.

“It’s really exploded into what it’s become today in terms of the money involved and the coverage.”

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