Midday start for day one of Kent’s LV=CC game against Notts

Kent v Nottinghamshire
LV= County Championship Division One
4 – 7 June 2010
Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells

Please note: Day one of this fixture starts at midday.

It“s the fixture everyone has been looking forward to; Festival Week at the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells. With glorious weather expected for the next few days, Kent will look to continue their fine run of form as they welcome table-topping Nottinghamshire to the south in the LV= County Championship.

Kent will be looking to build on their last four-day outing when they demolished title holders Durham by an innings and four runs to claim their first LV=CC win of the season. The hero then was Makhaya Ntini who took match figures of 10-104. He has since been replaced by Sri Lankan leg-spinner Malinga Bandara (pictured), Kent“s overseas player for the second-half of the season. With the weather looking good, he and off-spinner James Tredwell will be looking to form a lethal spin duo on much drier wickets for the rest of the campaign.

Chris Read“s Nottinghamshire have made an impressive start to the campaign, collecting four victories out of six. They lead division one with two games in hand on their closest rivals, Yorkshire. However their form has dropped in their last two four-day outings. Recently, they suffered their first defeat of the campaign, by two wickets at home to Hampshire, and then took on Essex in the last round of championship matches. In a rain-affected game, last week, Notts drew with Essex but Mark Pettini“s side were very much on top throughout the fixture.

The league leaders have been boosted by the arrival of Australian batsman Dave Hussey. The right-hander has pitched up at Trent Bridge for his fifth season with the club and replaces South African Hashim Amla, who averaged 75.40 during his brief spell in the east midlands.

Kent will be looking to improve on their previous meeting with Notts as, in the opening game of this season, they slumped to an innings and 32 run defeat at Trent Bridge. Amla“s 129 put the home side in pole position from the off as they posted 456 in their first innings. Rob Key“s men replied with a below par 200, thanks largely to Azhar Mahmood“s 52 – coming in at number eight, and then following-on they again struggled and were dismissed for 224. Andre Adams was the main threat with the ball. He returned match figures of 7-141 to contribute to Kent“s downfall.

Things are different now though as Kent enter this clash full of confidence, after a good run of results, so please come down to the picturesque Nevill Ground to show your support this week.

Kent have made one change to the side that brushed aside Durham as Malinga Bandara comes in for his LV=CC bow in place of Makhaya Ntini, who has returned to South Africa.

Kent: Key (C), Denly, Jones (W), van Jaarsveld, Northeast, Stevens, Blake, Tredwell, Coles, Cook, Bandara, Khan

Picture:Sarah Ansell