Match Report: Kent vs. Glamorgan
Kent welcomed their Members back to live cricket for the first time in over 600 days with their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Glamorgan.
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Day Four Report:
Kent and Glamorgan drew their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury, after rain thwarted their attempts to make a game of it on Day Four.
Glamorgan were 23 for one in their second innings when play was abandoned, after the teams agreed sporting declarations.
The visitors declared on their overnight score of 64 for 3, 243 behind, and Kent then declared on 60 for one, setting Glamorgan a target of 304 from a minimum 84 overs.
Just 38 balls were bowled on day three and with a draw effectively useless to both sides’ Group C ambitions, they attempted to set up a finish.
Kent’s only loss in their brief second innings was Ollie Robinson, who’d made 14 before he was caught behind, glancing Michael Neser down the leg side. Jordan Cox was unbeaten on 27 and Zak Crawley 18 not out when the declaration came.
Glamorgan had made 22 for nought when rain forced an initial five-minute delay. Matt Quinn then bowled David Lloyd for 17, but a second, far heavier downpour led to an early lunch and with no prospect of the ground conditions improveming, the sides agreed a draw at 1.45 pm. Joe Cooke was six not out and Marnus Labuschagne unbeaten on 0.
Kent collected 12 points and Glamorgan 11.
Kent’s Nathan Gilchrist said: “It’s been quite a frustrating four days this week and I suppose the last three weeks as well because we’ve been in very decent positions all three weeks and the weather’s kind of got in our way. I feel that week on week we’re getting better and better.
“This was my first home game so it was great and great to have the crowd back as well. I loved the time I spend out in the field.
“It was a bit surreal to be honest (watching Stevens bat). When I was out there with him we were in a bit of trouble and I was just trying to spend as much time out there as I could with him. At the time it didn’t look as though he was going to flick the switch, but when I got out carnage came down. It was really good for him to have Miguel there too, to stay out there as long as possible.
“It was a bit of a freak innings, I’ve heard about his innings in the last, there was one I think in 2019 againt Yorkshire where he got a double hundred.
“At the time I’d only heard about it because I was at Somerset but apparently it was very similar to this innings so I’m just lucky I was able to witness it to be honest.”
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Day Three Report:
Glamorgan moved to 64 for three against Kent on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury, trailing by 243 at stumps after just 6.2 overs were possible due to a waterlogged outfield and then bad light.
Matt Quinn took the only wicket to fall, removing Joe Cooke for 10, leaving him with figures of two for 10.
Billy Root and Kiran Carlson were the not out batters, on 26 and nought respectively.
Play was delayed until 5.19 pm after heavy overnight rain left several areas of the outfield unplayable, with Umpire James Middlebrook’s shoes making an audible squelch as he strolled towards the pavilion to deliver the bad news following one of six pitch inspections.
When the action did finally get underway, with around 50 die-hard fans still in the ground, Glamorgan resumed on 55-2 in reply to Kent’s 307 all out.
Just five runs had been added when Quinn knocked back Cooke’s off stump in the 25th over, the batter failing add to his overnight score.
Root initially looked more comfortable, driving Stevens for four through long off but then surviving an appeal for caught behind off next delivery.
With the light deteriorating the players went off after just 24 minutes and with increasingly heavy rain falling, play was abandoned for the day.
Kent Captain, Sam Billings, said: “It was frustrating, especially after a remarkable performance yesterday when Darren Stevens got us into a great position. It was great to get one wicket, it was a great opportunity for 19 overs or so, it’s never nice as a batting unit to come out at that time of day with the floodlights on.
“From a bowling point of view we had a really good opportunity there, the aim was to get three or four wickets to put them under pressure and unfortunately the weather has just been relentless hasn’t it. Let’s be honest it’s been dark, cold and windy.
“It’s a credit to all the supporters who’ve come out, even today to watch, we really do appreciate it and it just shows how much this Club means to a lot of people.
“It’s just a shame, it’s out of our control that we can’t get out on the field. It looked pretty clear and there was no rain falling and the light was fine, but the outfield, just because of the water, has been so wet. I know first-hand, twice I’ve played on wet outfields and got injured.
“I don’t want it to happen to myself again, let alone any of our players. Looks are deceiving sometimes, it looked absolutely fine, but it was more suited for football really.”
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Day Two Report:
Darren Stevens hit a belief-beggaring 190 to help revive Kent on Day Two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Glamorgan at Canterbury.
The 45-year-old smashed an astonishing 15 sixes and as many fours from 149 balls, as Kent recovered to 307 all out, having slumped to 92 for seven after Timm van der Gugten had taken four for 34 and Michael Neser four for 67.
Stevens had a partnership of 166 for the ninth wicket with Miguel Cummins, to which the latter contributed a single, and he then removed Marnus Labuschagne as Glamorgan limped to 55 for two at stumps, a deficit of 252.
Kent made a disastrous start at a St Lawrence ground buffeted by 50 mph winds, which forced ground staff to stash advertising hoardings and repeatedly sent bails and caps flying.
The overnight batters added just a single each to their scores before they were both removed by Neser. He trapped Jack Leaning lbw for two, bowled Jordan Cox for 27 and then had Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw for 0. Sam Billings was leg before to van der Gugten for 11, who then had Marcus O’Riordan caught behind without scoring.
When Nathan Gilchrist was lbw to Neser for 12, Stevens started swinging. He hit two sixes over fine leg to steer Kent to 150 for eight at Lunch, then flicked a third over square leg early in the afternoon session, before smashing a fourth over long on.
He plundered two more from Andrew Salter in the space of three balls, before driving Michael Hogan for four through long off to bring up his century, from 92 balls.
His ninth six brought up the 100 partnership and he was subsequently dropped on the boundary by Labuschagne, then again by Billy Root, who spilled the ball over the rope. A viscous square cut then knocked Richard Illingworth off his feet, but the umpire was unharmed and the two men bumped fists before play resumed.
Stevens finally holed out to Labuschagne and was caught by Kiran Carlson at long on and Cummins was bowled by Labuschagne for seven to end the innings.
Matt Quinn removed David Lloyd lbw for four and Stevens had a disgruntled Labuschagne leg before for 11, leaving Joe Cooke and Billy Root the not out batters on 10 and 21 respectively when play was eventually called off at 18:15 after a bewildering delay.
Kent’s Darren Stevens said: “We were in a tough situation and all I was worried about was trying to hit a boundary in the first couple of balls, or those first three balls and then get off strike. I thought they did it poorly really, I thought they could have brought a man in. We got into a bit of a routine, a bit of a rhythm, it actually worked quite well for a few overs and I’ve probably got us into quite a good situation.
“I tried to use the wind as much as I could because it was tough out there. I tried to use it to our advantage. As long as I got it aerial and high I thought the wind would take it with it, that was my thought process, when I was batting at the pavilion end. When I was at the Nackington Road it was a little bit different because they were bowling wider. I played one when I tried to flick it leg side and I got dropped at slip I think and then I thought about hitting the sight screen and I thought if I can hit the sight screen and they come straighter then fine. It was a game of two halves really.
“I’ve had a bit of a niggle, it’s been a bit of a pain in my left hamstring so I’ve been struggling to get forward but since the Sussex game I’ve had a good four or five days off when I’ve not done anything and I’ve rested it a little bit, so I felt a little bit better yesterday in the nets. I got here early had a good hit this morning and felt great. It’s been frustrating getting out cheaply in the last couple of weeks but I feel that’s got me going again.
On the crowd: “It was good just to get bums on seats, it feels like a proper game now, where the last year or so, I know they’ve been first class games but it’s not felt the same, it’s felt a little bit like a pre-season game. The lads said to me ‘Oh the crowds come in and you show up, don’t you!’ I’ve had six, eight innings where I’ve not really got any runs. To get 190 is just remarkable really and I’m just pleased I’ve got us into a good situation and hopefully we’ll bowl well tomorrow.”
On his team mates’ reaction: “There were a couple of words flying around like freak. It’s nice. Bilbo (Sam Billings) has just done a nice little speech there. I’ve played a few knocks like this, there’s a few young faces, newcomers to the side that have not seen me play as well and there were a few rumours flying around about how I do play so they’re just really pleased to see it and I’m pleased to perform and get us in a great position.”
On his late father: “The old man, I’ll tell you, I don’t shy away from stuff like this… like the game up at Northants, I got pretty emotional, I had to pull out a few times. You know I miss him, we all miss him, having a bench down here and having a coffee with him every morning, but yeah he’s looking down on me and he will be for a long time.”
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Day One Report:
Kent reached 70 for two at stumps on day one of their LV=Insurance County Championship match with Glamorgan at Canterbury.
Ollie Robinson scored 43 and Jordan Cox was unbeaten on 26 at the end of a weather-affected day in Group Three, which saw the first two sessions wiped out.
Glamorgan’s Timm van der Gugten took two wickets for 0 before play was abandoned due to a combination of rain and bad light at 5.57 pm.
Fans were allowed back at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence for the first time in 603 days, but although conditions were dry at the scheduled start time of 11:00, a saturated outfield delayed the morning session and four subsequent inspections took place before it actually started raining at 14:30.
Of the 950 members lucky enough to have won tickets in the ballot, only around 150 remained by the time play began at 16:28, although they generated a healthy roar when Kent’s openers finally took to the field.
Captain Sam Billings made his first appearance of the season for Kent, replacing Tawanda Muyeye and the hosts reshuffled their batting order, promoting Ollie Robinson to opener and dropping Daniel Bell-Drummond down to six.
Glamorgan were unchanged and having won the toss they elected to bowl, under leaden skies and in winds that gusted up to 40 mph. The wind speed meant the floodlights couldn’t be turned on but conditions remained just about playable and Robinson looked elegant in his new role until he was caught low at first slip by David Lloyd off van der Gugten, ending an opening stand of 60.
The same duo then removed Zak Crawley for an eight-ball duck and van der Gugten closed with impressive figures of 4-4-0-2 when the elements intervened.
Kent’s Ollie Robinson said: “I’ve done it a bit (opened the batting) in the twos before. It’s a bit different at first team level but it’s a challenge I’m obviously excited about.
“I embraced it and fortunately I got a few runs. I probably should have got a few more but at the start of the day I probably would have taken 43 first crack.
“It’s a pretty good pitch actually, a good cricket pitch in terms of if you bowl it in the right spot there’s a bit there for you. If you don’t bowl in the right spots there’s opportunities to score.
“Even 200 people feels like a lot of people, just that little bit of energy you get when hit a four and there’s a little ripple from the crowd, it just makes such a difference and it was special for me and Jordan Cox when we went out to bat.
“There was a big cheer and it’s things like that you miss and take for granted a lot of the time.”