Match Preview: Kent vs. Northamptonshire
Kent welcome Northamptonshire to The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence for the 170th Canterbury Cricket Week in the LV= Insurance County Championship from Monday, 11 July.
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In what is being dubbed as a ’48-pointer’, both sides will be looking to record a victory to boost their points tally in Division One of this year’s Championship.
Kent sit one place above Northamptonshire in Division One, but the midlands side have played one less match so far.
Ben Compton is the first batter to pass 1,000 runs in Division One this season, and now has 1,040 to his name, averaging 86.66.
Daniel Bell-Drummond’s two centuries in Kent’s last match against Surrey now leaves the right-hander on exactly 700 runs at 63.63.
Last Time Out
Daniel Bell-Drummond added another fighting 107 not out to his first innings 102 as Kent battled to a draw against LV= Insurance County Championship leaders Surrey.
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It is the first time the 28-year-old Bell-Drummond has scored two hundreds in a first-class match.
The loss of 14 overs to bad weather at the start of the final day was frustrating for Surrey, but the Kia Oval pitch remained a good one for batting throughout and hands were shaken at 5.48pm when Kent had taken their overnight second innings 121 for no wicket to 361 for 4.
Surrey took 16 points from this match, and Kent 12.
Bell-Drummond batted for a total of almost nine hours in the game, resisting in Kent’s second innings for 195 balls and 284 minutes after coming in when opener Ben Compton was leg-before to Sam Curran in the final day’s second over.
Opposition Report
Left-hand bat Luke Proctor averages 121.80 in Championship cricket this season including three scores of 100 or more, as Northamptonshire have picked up 81 points in seven matches so far.
The visitors will be able to call upon the batting and wicketkeeping of South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton, who scored a century on debut against Warwickshire.
Ben Sanderson has 20 Division One wickets to his name at an average of 25.50, whilst the spin of Rob Keogh (13 @ 39.92) & medium pace of Gareth Berg (12 @ 35.25).
Matchday Information
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Live Streaming
Kent vs. Northamptonshire will be streamed and embedded into the Match Centre on the Kent Cricket website. BBC Radio commentary will be synced to pictures coming via Kent Cricket.
Canterbury Cricket Week
On 1 August 1842, Canterbury Cricket Week was born. It has been celebrated annually, with very few exceptions, since that date. It’s apt to describe it as a celebration, for whilst cricket has been the main attraction, it has always been a great social occasion commanding an audience from near and far.
Early matches were played at the Beverley Ground and featured contests between representative Kent and England sides. The Kentish Gazette, reporting the matches in that first Week, highlighted the performances for Kent of two outstanding batsmen of that time, Fuller Pilch and Nicholas Felix, reporting that “The cricket proved worthy of the occasion….”
The first Week at The Spitfire Ground was in 1847, the two matches being Kent vs. England and the Gentlemen of Kent vs. the Gentlemen of England.
When Kent won its first Championship in 1906 there were innings victories against Sussex and Lancashire during Canterbury Week, this latter match being the subject of the famous painting by Albert Chevellier Tayler showing Colin Blythe bowling to J.T. Tyldesley.
There was Les Ames’ 100th hundred in 1950 and the record second wicket partnership of 366 between Simon Hinks and Neil Taylor in 1990.
Canterbury Week is something special. Its history and tradition is unique. It’s one of sport’s outstanding Summer occasions, ranking alongside Wimbledon, Ascot and Henley.
Team News
Sam Billings & Zak Crawley are both available for Kent after the completion of England’s Test series against India, whilst Matt Quinn & Grant Stewart return from injury.
Nathan Gilchrist & Darren Stevens are close to Championship returns from their respective injuries, whilst Harry Podmore continues rehabilitation on his knee injury.
Matt Henry is expected to arrive ahead of his second spell as a Kent player from 16 July & Marcus O’Riordan is unavailable due to a shoulder injury.
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The Royal London Cup returns next month
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