Kent goes back to the ’80s in next Spitfire Session
Tuesday 26th May 2020
Icons of Kent Cricket in the 1980s will be the latest Kent legends to take part in The Spitfire Sessions on Monday 1st June.
Richard Ellison, Chris Penn, Neil Taylor and Derek Aslett will form the panel for the next session, with Aslett joining us live from his home in Australia.
Discussions will focus around the Club’s achievements in the ’80s, including reaching three cup finals.
Submit your questions in advance for the panel now >>>
Taking place on Monday 1st June at 19:00, The Spitfire Sessions will be available to watch live on Kent Cricket’s official Facebook Page, as well as directly through Zoom.
This forum is open to all, and the panel will be answering questions put to them by supporters and stakeholders. Supporters are asked to submit questions to the club in advance via e-mail to TheSpitfireSessions.Kent@ecb.co.uk.
From the advanced questions received, a star question will be selected by the panel and awarded with a prize, kindly donated by Shepherd Neame.
Richard Ellison made his debut for Kent in 1981 and took five wickets against the powerful 1984 West Indian side on his Test debut.
The all-rounder took 569 wickets and scored 6,140 runs for Kent in 337 appearances between 1981 and 1994. Known for his proficiency in English conditions and his handy runs near the end of the order, Ellison played 25 times for England, 11 in Tests, and was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1986.
After retirement, Ellison became Head of Cricket at Millfield School and works as a Match Referee for the ECB.
Chris Penn was a Kent bowler between 1982 and 1994, when injury cut short his career.
He took 405 wickets in 233 appearances for the county, also playing two Test and two One-Day International matches for England under-19s in 1982. He was named Player of the Year when Kent finished second in the County Championship in 1988.
He was awarded a Testimonial Year in 1996, and went on to spend periods of time as specialist bowling coach to Kent and England Women under coach Paul Farbrace.
Neil Taylor was at the top of the order for Kent for 16 years between 1979 and 1995.
In 541 matches for the county, the right-hander scored 24,848 runs at an average 37.87, scoring 48 centuries.
Since retiring from playing, Taylor has worked extensively in the high performance arena, was formerly Director of Cricket at St Dunstan’s College and Epsom College and has managed Kent’s County Age Group sides for many years.
Derek Aslett made his debut for the county in 1981 and made 214 appearances for Kent before retiring in 1987.
He scored 8,289 middle-order runs at 32.12 including 14 centuries, with his best score of 221* coming against Sri Lanka at The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence in 1984.
After retirement, Aslett emigrated to Perth in Western Australia after his playing career and set up an antiques business in the city.
The Spitfire Sessions are proudly supported by Shepherd Neame >>>
