Match Report: Kent vs. Worcestershire
Kent’s final pre-season match before the 2021 season sees the visit of Worcestershire to The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in Canterbury.
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Day Two Report:
Similar temperatures greeted both sides in Canterbury for Day Two.
It was Worcestershire’s turn to suffer the trials and tribulations of favourable bowling conditions, and only had 29 runs on the board when Libby was dismissed by a fantastic piece of fielding.
Nathan Gilchrist, getting his first taste of action at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, found the edge, but Zak Crawley, diving to his left to scoop up the ball just as it was about to hit the ground, took a blinding catch at second slip.
Two wickets fell in subsequent overs: Milnes trapped Mitchell ‘LBW’ for 19, Gilchrist struck again to get Fell caught behind for 2.
As Kent looked to give their bowlers more match practice, Fred Klaassen came into the attack from the Nackington Road end – and struck with his first delivery. A hooping inswinger got the better of Haynes, who departed leg-before without scoring.
He then got the better of D’Oliveira, who edged to Crawley at slip – the England opener taking another good catch.
Worcestershire went into Lunch on 83/5.
The visitors showed good recovery in the afternoon session as the sun threatened to poke through dark cloudy skies – the pairing of Wessels and Roderick consistently scored runs, taking the scoring rate over 3.60 an over and both recording half centuries.
The partnership that was worth 130 was finally broken when Podmore found Roderick’s edge and Jordan Cox took the catch at slip. He departed for 51.
Wessels reached three figures before Tea at nearly a run a ball, hitting two sixes and 15 fours. The break was signalled after Matt Milnes bowled Roderick’s replacement, Cox, for 1.
Libby returned to the middle alongside Leach after the Tea break, putting on 70 runs together, before Leach was stumped by Ollie Robinson off Jack Leaning’s off spin. The two sides shook hands at 17:40.
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Day One Report:
A cold morning nothing like the sunshine and warmth of the Club’s Media Day greeted Kent and Worcestershire for both counties’ final pre-season match of the Spring.
Kent lost Zak Crawley early – after surviving multiple ‘LBW’ shouts in the first over, he was bowled by Joe Leach and departed for 2 runs.
In at three, Ollie Robinson showed intent after a shaky Kent start, finding the boundary in his first over at the middle.
Kent lost the wickets of both Jordan Cox and Heino Kuhn early in the morning period to leave the hosts on 29/3, and it was up to Darren Stevens to try and build a partnership with Robinson.
The pair took Kent to Lunch after putting on 82 runs together. ‘Keeper-batsman Robinson reached his first half century of 2021 from 77 balls, and the pair walked off with Kent on 111/3.
The curse of ‘Nelson’ struck two balls after the break, with Stevens for a well-made 36 from 46, going LBW to Pennington.
A further flurry of wickets on a freezing, overcast early afternoon in Canterbury saw the demise of Leaning, O’Riordan and Milnes without scoring.
Yet Robinson provided an anchor during Kent’s turmoil, and continued to provide a foil to new batting partners, before eventually being dismissed for 59 from 102 deliveries.
As Kent’s line-up thinned, Heino Kuhn returned to bat to join a Grant Stewart salvo of runs, reaching a quickfire half century from 78 deliveries.
The pair sent Kent to Tea on 196 runs, and come out after the break looking to up the scoring rate.
Kuhn’s second spell lasted for 33 runs, before retiring out as Kent looked to give as many top and middle order batsmen as much match practice as possible.
Grant Stewart took the opportunity for time in the middle with both hands, cruising past 80 without much cause for concern. Once he looked to reach three figures and with failing light meaning that spin bowling was compulsory, Stewart quickly went up through the gears.
He reached his first hundred of the season with a huge six straight back over the bowlers head before retiring out on 105, and received an ovation from both sides’ dugouts as he left the field.
Kent ended the day after scoring 280 runs, and will bowl all day on Day Two.
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