Kent LD/PD County team start season with a win

Kent Cricket Board’s Learning and Physical disabilities county team got their season off to a winning start with a 19 run win against Middlesex LD on Sunday 28 July. The match was a Twenty20 played at Dartford CC’s Hesketh Park ground and was the first of four fixtures against other counties in the 2013 season.

Kent won the toss on a bright sunny day and elected to bat first, with captain David Crawley and Chris Apps starting confidently the score moved quickly to 72-0 off the first 10 overs.

With batsmen retiring to ensure the full team received an opportunity to bat, the run rate slowed in the second half of the innings and Kent finished on a competitive score of 129-1 off their allotted 20 overs.

The Middlesex run chase suffered an early blow with Crawley taking a wicket in the first over. The visitors recovered with some excellent batting and were well placed with the score on 75-1 after 12 over’s. Momentum swung back towards Kent with a couple of quick wickets, and the Middlesex innings drew to a close on 110-5, giving the home side a narrow 19 run victory.

Alex Farmer, Kent Cricket Board’s Inclusive Cricket Development Officer commented; “The match was a fantastic example of how inclusive cricket is, and was played with fantastic spirit and fair play. Both teams thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to pit their wits against the opposition, and the match ebbed and flowed from one side to the next ultimately being decided by crucial wickets in the last few over’s. The Kent team cannot wait to compete against Essex, Hampshire and Sussex in the coming weeks.”

The match was part of the British Association for Cricketers with Disabilities (BACD) development league. For further information please visitwww.bacd.co.uk

For all enquiries about getting involved in disability cricket in Kent, either playing or coaching, please contact Alex Farmer via alex.farmer.kent@ecb.co.uk