Simon Willis – Second Eleven Report 2011

On the surface it was not a great season, but on reflection despite some very poor performances in the Championship we were agonisingly just one win away from qualifying to the semi-finals in both the Twenty20 and 40 over one day formats. This was achieved with an extremely young team which shouldered the added burden of injuries to a number of players for the majority of the season, as well as call ups to England age group matches. Our depth was severely tested, however this did provide plenty of opportunities for many other players.

Areas identified for improvement in one day cricket from the 2010 season were addressed and as a result the players showed more consistency, courage and ruthlessness at critical moments. They developed more of a killer instinct which was complimented by disciplined and professional performances. The flourish in which we played our Twenty20 and 40 over one day formats this season buoyed the players and proved that hard work and perseverance will be rewarded.

There were several highlights during the season both individually and from a team perspective:

• * James Goodman’s first second eleven hundred of 148 in the four day match against Durham at Billericay
• * Ashley Shaw’s first, second eleven five wicket haul in the Championship match against Somerset at Maidstone
• * Alex Blake’s two destructive match winning hundreds of 106, and 116no in the One Day Trophy matches against MCC Young Cricketers at Beckenham and Gloucestershire at Bristol

* The outstanding seven wicket victory over MCC Young Cricketers at Beckenham in the Championship that included a run chase of 309 runs in 49 overs and a third wicket partnership of 193 between James Goodman, 143no and Matthew Birrell, 104

* The first second eleven Twenty20 match under lights at Canterbury that was played against Hampshire, resulting in a well-deserved twenty two run victory for us

* An impressive bowling and fielding performance against Surrey in the One Day Trophy match at Cheam including a hat-trick by Academy scholar Ivan Thomas that led us to victory by eight wickets.

As mentioned earlier, our performances in the Championship were very poor and the common theme throughout the season was a lack of runs on the board. Our inability to adapt to the conditions, particularly when the ball was swinging was probably our biggest downfall and our young batsmen need to think about how they are going to approach batting for three hours plus in the future if they are going to be successful in this format of the game.

During the summer we used a number of different captains as part of our Leadership Development Programme. Adam Ball, Alex Blake, Sam Billings, James Goodman, Sam Northeast and Chris Piesley all had the opportunity to lead the second eleven at various stages and each made valuable contributions, showing with great pride what playing for Kent really means to them.

Most pleasingly, this season saw the emergence of several exciting young players plus the rise to higher honours for others. The improvement and development of many of our young players during the year emphasised the value of the second eleven match programme.This was no better evidenced than by teenage Academy pace bowlers Ivan Thomas and Benedict Kemp, having to lead the second eleven attack on occasions as a result of the crippling injury toil suffered by our professional bowlers.

It was also a great pleasure to witness players such as Adam Ball, Sam Billings, Daniel Bell-Drummond, James Goodman, Chris Piesley and Adam Riley all receive valuable first eleven experiences throughout this summer.

The selection of both Adam Ball and Daniel Bell-Drummond for the England U19’s one day series against South Africa this summer was just reward for their outstanding early season success. Both players will no doubt be long term Kent players and are a tribute to our player development pathway.

I was very fortunate to have had wonderful support throughout this season. Special thanks must go to second eleven physiotherapist, Max Ganderton for his tireless efforts, working long hours to keep players on the park. Credit also to the players, whose attitude to their recovery and injury management during the season was far improved on what I had previously experienced the season before. Thanks to our scorer’s, Cliff Booth and Andy Bateup for their daily efforts and to Cricket Administrator Ross Franklin for her patience, support and co-operation.

My appreciation goes to Director of Cricket, Paul Farbrace and Captain Robert Key for their continued assistance, support and encouragement during such a hectic schedule of matches for them both this season.

Finally, on behalf of all those involved with the second eleven match programme I would like to thank the grounds that have hosted our home matches this season and for the ongoing support that they provide us in the development of our young players and future stars.

Simon Willis

High Performance Director