Kent return to LV= Championship action against Hampshire

Match two of the 163^rd Canterbury Cricket Week ushers in a return to LV= County Championship cricket for Kent. They face promotion contenders Hampshire in the first of two matches against the Southern County that may be crucial in deciding who joins run away second division leaders Worcestershire as likely first division players in 2015.

At this stage Worcestershire are 43 points clear at the top of the standing, having played 12 matches and accumulated 205 points. Kent’s last match victims Surrey are second, 162 points from 13, Hampshire have slipped to third with 160 points from 12, Essex fourth, 142 from 12 and Kent lie fifth, with games in hand, having only played 11, with 139 points. They are well within striking distance of second place, without having to rely on other results, should they continue the form that has produced three outright wins in their last three matches.

Head Coach Jimmy Adams is well aware of the situation stating that, ‘it is great to be in contention in two competitions and to have the outcome in our hands. We have to make a quick transition from 50 over cricket to the four day form, but these changes have been a feature of this year’s competitions, with all Counties facing the same challenges.

Adams has returned to his core Championship squad that has performed so well recently. Skipper Rob Key returns from a short injury break to lead the team, along with Brendan Nash, who also had a short injury layoff. Doug Bollinger is added to the squad who faced Surrey in the last Championship fixture.

Hampshire had been the traditional Canterbury Week opponent for Kent and has since the initial match in 1867 played each other 205 times. Kent has the upper hand in the encounters, having won 85, lost 43, drawn 76 and had one tie. There have been some memorable matches including nine years ago when 1,541 runs were scored in a drawn match. Kent’s second innings of 447 for the loss of nine wickets remains a record fourth innings score for them. In 2002 Rob Key scored 160 in the first innings, which Kent declared at 577 – seven. From the bowling front, in recent history 1996 is a standout year. Two bowlers, Martin McCague and Dean Headley, took hat tricks in Hampshire’s first innings, which was slightly upstaged in the second where the visitors managed to lose nine wickets for the addition of seven runs. For a fuller history of matches between Kent and Hampshire, click here >>

In the past 31 years Kent has played Hampshire 18 times in Canterbury. Kent have won five of these matches, lost four and drawn 9. For key statistics from these matches, click here >>

Play is due to begin at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on Friday 15 August 2014 at 11am.

Kent (from):

· Rob Key (c)

· Daniel Bell-Drummond

· Sam Billings (w)

· Doug Bollinger

· Fabian Cowdrey

· Mitch Claydon

· Calum Haggett

· Ben Harmison

· Brendan Nash

· Sam Northeast

· Adam Riley

· Darren Stevens

Injury Update:

Mark Davies unavailable for the rest of the season due to injury.