KENT CRICKET: COACH WALKER LOOKING FOR A PERFECT FINISH IN TITLE BID
Assistant coach Matt Walker says Kent are aiming to secure the Specsavers County Championship Division 2 title by winning their final four games of the season, writes Alex Hoad. Kent return to red-ball action with a trip to Bristol to face Gloucestershire on Tuesday (11am), sitting 24 points adrift of leaders Essex, whom they face in their final game of the season at Canterbury on September 20. Gloucestershire suffered an innings defeat at sixth-placed Sussex – still only 16 points behind Kent themselves with a game in hand – on Tuesday. On the same day, Essex secured an innings win over Derbyshire to consolidate top spot, with four games remaining for Kent to try and secure the lone promotion place to Division 1. After a big win over Worcestershire two weeks ago, Kent’s players and staff were given a week off and Walker admitted: “We needed it, it has done us some good and we can go into the last few weeks of the season feeling fresh. “We had a good break and the chance to prepare for yesterday’s (Thursday’s) One-Day Cup quarter-final and now we can start to think about the Championship. “It’s going to be an interesting end to the season but what will be, will be. “We will look to win every game between now and the end of the season and see where it gets us. It will be tough on the team who finish second, who will have put in a lot of hard work for nothing but everyone knew the situation before the start of the season. We are not going to look too far ahead.” Walker set the record score at Canterbury by a Kent batsman, of 275 against Somerset 20 years ago this week, and he admitted: “It was a great moment in my life and something I’m proud of. I am surprised it has not been broken since then, though, if you think of all the quality players who have played there. “I expect it will go soon, there’s no doubt that a lot of our current side definitely have the quality to do it.”
Joe Denly has signed a long-term contract extension to stay at the county. Denly has impressed at the top of the order for Kent this summer with seven half-centuries and three centuries, including a career-best 206 not out. The 30-year-old said: “I am enjoying my cricket as much as I ever have and feel I’m entering my prime years as a batsman. “I look forward to contributing towards hopefully bringing silverware back to the Spitfire Ground over the next few years.”