Northeast to stay on as Kent skipper
Sam Northeast will continue as Kent captain in 2017 after being unanimously reappointed by the club’s cricket committee. The 26-year-old has led the first team out 100 times since first being handed the honour in the preseason match against Loughborough MCCU in 2011 and took over from Rob Key during the 2015 season. He said: “It’s an honour to be appointed captain again next year. I’ve loved having the opportunity to lead the lads and shape the way we play the game. “We have a core of players who have developed at the club but it is great to see everyone hungry to push on and improve as a group. “We are not the finished article yet and will be working hard with the coaches and support staff to bring home some silverware.” Meanwhile, Kent wrapped up a convincing victory by an innings and 127 runs over Sussex in the Specsavers County Championship Division 2 match last Friday. Kent seamers Mitch Claydon, Hardus Viljoen and Matt Coles took three wickets each as Sussex suffered their first championship defeat of the season. Their hopes of making Kent work for victory depended largely on Chris Nash and Luke Wells but both fell within 30 minutes of the resumption on the third morning. CD Nash run out ...............................16 TJ Haines c Tredwell b Stevens ..........0 LWP Wells c Billings b Stevens ...........1 FJ Hudson-Prentice lbw b Coles..........5 Craig Cachopa c Gidman b Viljoen.....19 BC Brown c Viljoen b Claydon ..........54 D Wiese c Billings b Viljoen .................4 OE Robinson c Billings b Viljoen ........32 DR Briggs c Northeast b Coles ............8 A Shahzad c Denly b Claydon ............26 SJ Magoffin not out ............................0 Extras (b1, lb2, nb12)........................15 Fall: 1-2, 2- 4, 3- 9, 4- 41, 5- 54, 6-70, 7-126, 8-135, 9-135, 10-180 Bowling: MT Coles 13-2-32-2, DI Stevens 11-3-36-2, GC Viljoen 12-170-3, ME Claydon 3.5- 0-25-2, WRS Gidman 1- 0-14- 0. DJ Bell-Drummond c Brown b Magoffin ......20 SR Dickson c Brown b Magoffin ..........8 JL Denly c Wiese b Magoffin .............48 SA Northeast c Nash b Shahzad ........44 SW Billings lbw b Wiese ....................64 DI Stevens b Magoffin .......................79 WRS Gidman not out .........................99 JC Tredwell b Shahzad .....................13 MT Coles c Robinson b Briggs...........70 GC Viljoen c Cachopa b Robinson ........3 Nash (23) got a beauty from Viljoen which pitched and left him off the seam but Wells tried to cut a ball that he should have left alone and gave second slip Coles a head-high catch. Coles found some extra bounce to have Fynn Hudson-Prentice (20) caught off a glove and Cachopa (34) gave a catch to wicketkeeper Sam Billings. Skipper Ben Brown (19) could consider himself unfortunate when he played on to a ball from Darren Stevens that hardly bounced and by then it was only a case of whether Sussex might hold on until rain arrived at lunch time. But their tail offered little resistance. Ollie Robinson (6) guided a ball at least a yard outside off stump from Coles to third man, Danny Briggs (4) was pinned by Claydon’s nip-backer and with lunch delayed after the ninth wicket fell, Claydon wrapped things up when last man Steve Magoffin (8) was caught behind. Only Nash batted for longer than an hour. Kent had dismissed Sussex out for just 180 on the first day and were then indebted to 99 not out by Will Gidman as they posted 496 in reply. Sam Billings (64) and Darren Stevens (79) both continued their good form with the bat while Coles smashed five fours and two sixes in his 87-ball 70. Kent’s game with Northamptonshire at Beckenham was due to finish today (Friday). ME Claydon c sub b Magoffin............11 Extras (b14, lb15, nb8)......................37 Fall: 1-19, 2- 54, 3-101, 4-151, 5-206, 6-306, 7-351, 8- 466, 9- 479, 10- 496 Bowling: SJ Magoffin 34.5- 6- 88- 5, OE Robinson 25-2-77-1, A Shahzad 19-2- 95-2, D Wiese 31- 5- 90-1, TJ Haines 3- 0- 8- 0, DR Briggs 15-1-77-1, LWP Wells 5- 0-32- 0 CD Nash c Tredwell b Viljoen ............23 TJ Haines c Billings b Viljoen.............11 A Shahzad c Billings b Claydon ...........3 LWP Wells c Coles b Viljoen ..............23 FJ Hudson-Prentice c Gidman b Coles..........20 Craig Cachopa c Billings b Coles .......34 BC Brown b Stevens .........................19 D Wiese not out ..................................9 OE Robinson c Denly b Coles ..............6 DR Briggs lbw b Claydon.....................4 SJ Magoffin c Billings b Claydon .........8 Extras (b10, lb2, w7, nb10) ...............29 Fall: 1-39, 2- 42, 3- 59, 4- 87, 5-116, 6-149, 7-159, 8-172, 9-181, 10-189 Bowling: MT Coles 12-2-72-2, DI Stevens 10-2-30-1, GC Viljoen 9- 034-3, ME Claydon 10.5-2- 41-3 Kent won by an innings and 127 runs. Points: Kent 24, Sussex 2. Umpires: SA Garratt & SJ O’Shaughnessy.