Match Report: Glamorgan vs. Kent Spitfires
Kent Spitfires faced Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in the Vitality Blast.
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Glamorgan defeated the Kent Spitfires by seven wickets at Sophia Gardens in a Friday night Vitality Blast match-up.
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‘Glammy’ stalwarts Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke shared a stand worth 109 after Eddie Byrom had set a strong platform as the home side chased down a target of 190 to win by seven wickets with 18 balls remaining.
Kent’s innings had a strong start thanks to a career best score from Tawanda Muyeye and a powerful finish thanks to their lower order but a stutter in the middle overs prevented them from setting a truly competitive total.
Kent were put into bat and it looked as if Glamorgan had made the wrong call as Daniel Bell-Drummond and Muyeye raced along inside the PowerPlay. It was Muyeye who was the main aggressor as 63 runs were scored off the first six overs with Jamie McIlroy and Zain-ul-Hassan struggling to keep the Kent openers under control.
It was the introduction of Australian leg-spinner Peter Hatzoglou that brought Glamorgan back into the game. Hatzoglou made the first breakthrough with his sixth ball of the game when he bowled Bell-Drummond for 19 when the Kent opener attempted a slog sweep.
Joe Denly attempted to keep the momentum going as he smoked a massive six over the mid-wicket boundary to get himself off the mark. That attempt to inject some impetus didn’t last long with Denly’s dismissal the first of three in the space of just 10 runs as Hatzoglou and Prem Sisodiya did a good job of pinning down the Kent middle order to bring themselves back into the game. When Muyeye was dismissed for 63 his team were 103 for four after 11 overs with two new batters at the crease.
Jordan Cox, Jack Leaning and George Linde did a fantastic job of covering up the cracks caused by that cluster of wickets as they all made meaningful contributions as Kent reached 189 for six off their 20 overs. The Cox innings was the most eventful, especially when he offered two catching chances to Kiran Carlson off two successive deliveries, neither of which were claimed by the Glamorgan captain.
Glamorgan had a similarly quick start to their innings, with Eddie Byrom scoring 43 out of a 51 opening stand with Sam Northeast. Byrom smashed 20 runs from Wes Agar’s first over, and despite the bowler hitting his helmet he managed to guide the ball immediately after the blow over third man for six.
Grant Stewart was given similarly brutal treatment and had conceded 19 runs from his first five balls before he had Byrom caught by Jordan Cox at mid-on.
The one Kent bowler who kept things under control in the PowerPlay was Michael Hogan who was back in Cardiff for the first time since his departure from Glamorgan over the winter. Welsh cricket supporters were given a reminder of what they lost when Hogan made the decision to finish his career at Kent when his two PowerPlay overs brought just seven runs and the wicket of Northeast.
A truly remarkable catch by Agar at fine leg ended Carlson’s innings but that brought together Cooke and Ingram who got themselves set before taking the game away from Kent in a stand that was professionally managed, with both batters happy to take boundaries when they were offered and singles when the ball was not there to be hit.
It was a no ball from Agar that took Glamorgan to their victory target with three overs to spare as Kent failed to find any answers to the Cooke and Ingram partnership.
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Matt Walker, Kent Men’s Head Coach, said: “The first half was pretty good it seemed, we felt that was a pretty good score. We felt 189 was above par, on the numbers it was above par. 164 on average is a winning total here. Thought we were in a pretty good position but to be honest if we bowl like that 189 is nowhere near enough.
“It was poor, there is no beating around the bush. We can try and find the positives out of it, there weren’t really any with the ball. We just didn’t get it right.
“We made it very easy for them, we bowled too wide, we just weren’t really able to create any real pressure other than I suppose Michael Hogan who I thought bowled well. But other than that, I don’t think they really broke sweat in that run chase.
“Extremely disappointing, it just wasn’t good enough from a Kent team.”
The Oldest Rivalry comes to Canterbury on Sunday!
Kent Spitfires welcome Surrey to ‘Fortress Canterbury’ for a Sunday afternoon T20 match at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on 4 June!
Buy your tickets now to save money on On The Day prices:
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Members do not need to pre-book their space at T20 matches as per last season – entry will be gained by scanning a valid 2023 Kent Cricket Membership card at the gate.
The Frank Woolley Stand is already completely SOLD OUT for this fixture. An allocation has been set aside for Members & Six Pack Plus Ticket Holders.
Those unable to join us at The Spitfire Ground can purchase the Live Stream for this match via KentCricketPlay for £5.99 (FREE for all 2023 Kent Members) now:
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Those unable to join us at The Spitfire Ground can purchase the Live Stream for all untelevised home matches via KentCricketPlay for £5.99 (FREE for all 2023 Kent Members) now:
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Buy your T20 tickets now to save money, avoid disappointment & to lock in supporting your Spitfires during an exciting Summer of white-ball cricket!
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Members do not need to pre-book their space at T20 matches as per last season – entry will be gained by scanning a valid 2023 Kent Cricket Membership card at the gate.
Should seated areas such as the Frank Woolley Stand also sell-out, an allocation is set aside for Members & Six Pack Plus Ticket Holders.
