Dickson a record-breaker
Opener’s 318 sets new kent mark
DJ Bell-Drummond not out ................. 84 SR Dickson lbw b Pattinson ................0 JL Denly lbw b Pattinson.....................0 SA Northeast c Mullaney b Pattinson ...0 SW Billings b Fletcher .......................30 DI Stevens c Read b Fletcher ............10 WRS Gidman b Gurney ......................25 AP Rouse c Wessels b Mullaney ........22 MT Coles c Wessels b Mullaney ..........4 AP Milne b Mullaney ...........................0 ME Claydon b Ball ...............................0 Extras (lb3, nb2) .................................5 Fall: 1-6, 2- 6, 3- 6, 4- 52, 5-70, 6-125, 7-163, 8-173, 9-173, 10-180. Bowling: JT Ball 12-3- 52-1, JL Pattinson 12- 4-30-3, LJ Fletcher 13- 0- 46-2, HF Gurney 13-3- 42-1, SR Patel 1- 0- 5- 0, SJ Mullaney 3-1-2-3. SJ Mullaney c Rouse b Coles ..........168 JD Libby c Dickson b Stevens ...........16 BRM Taylor c Rouse b Milne ...............6 SR Patel b Coles .................................4 AD Hales c Dickson b Denly ..............85 MH Wessels c Rouse b Gidman .........17 CMW Read not out ............................20 JL Pattinson b Coles ...........................4 LJ Fletcher c sub b Gidman ................0 JT Ball c Gidman b Claydon ..............19 HF Gurney run out ...............................0 Extras (b1, lb13, w6, nb12) ...............32 Fall: 1-36, 2- 45, 3- 52, 4-274, 5-326, 6-336, 7-345, 8-346, 9-366, 10-371. Bowling: MT Coles 23-2- 99-3, DI Stevens 20-7- 46-1, AF Milne 23-3-77-1, ME Claydon 21- 4- 68-1, WRS Gidman 10-1- 48-2, JL Denly 7-1-19-1 DJ Bell-Drummond b Ball ...................6 SR Dickson c Mullaney b Gurney.......12 JL Denly c Read b Fletcher ...............19 SA Northeast c Read b Gurney ............5 SW Billings retired not out.................39 WRS Gidman b Mullaney ...................26 JJ Weatherley b Pattinson.................16 DI Stevens retired hurt ......................31 AP Rouse c Patel b Mullaney .............35 MT Coles c Read b Gurney ..................0 AF Milne c Read b Fletcher ...............51 ME Claydon not out .............................7 Extras (b4, lb3, w1, nb10) .................18 Fall: 1-9, 2- 41, 3- 46, 4- 63, 4-105 ( Billings retired not out), 5-130, 6-167, 6-167 ( Stevens, retired hurt), 7-167, 8-246, 9-265. Bowling: JT Ball 2.1- 0-13-1, JL Pattinson 25-7- 62-1, LJ Fletcher 21.5- 4- 64-2, HF Gurney 21- 6- 63-3, SJ Mullaney 18.2- 6- 44-2, SR Patel 4- 0-12- 0. Match drawn. Points: Notts 12points, Kent 8 Umpires: NL Bainton & DG Lloyd. Shell-shocked Sean Dickson said reaching a century at Beckenham this week meant more to him than the 318 runs he ended up with.
The South African-born batsman had made ducks in four of his last five Championship matches and averaged less than 17 in his previous nine innings before this week’s breathtaking knock against Northamptonshire.
Dickson registered the highest-ever score on home soil by a Kent batsman and was just 14 runs shy of the overall club record dating back 84 years.
The 25-year-old admitted: “After the way things have been going, for me the most satisfying thing was getting to 100. That means more to me than the 200 or 300, though they are obviously amazing too.
“When I got to 100 I celebrated like mad, I screamed. It meant so much.
“I’ve worked my backside off this season – well, actually for the past three years – but to get to 100 after all that hard work really hit home in the moment.
“I have got to 60 or 70 but I know now that when you get to that point you need to take ownership. I did that and then just kept going.”
Dickson and in-form Joe Denly (182) shared the highest partnership for any wicket in the club’s history, putting on 382 runs for the second wicket in a 72.4over onslaught across Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning to surpass the 368 put on by Aravinda de Silva and Graham Cowdrey for the fourth wicket against Derbyshire at The Mote in 1995.
Dickson added: “I tried to stay focused on doing the little things and not doing anything stupid and let the results take care of themselves.
“I was in a good place, things just kept flowing, and I’m very lucky to have had some quality players at the other end, I couldn’t have done anything without them, especially Joe . who is in some incredible form at the moment.”
During his knock, Dickson surpassed his highest-ever First Class score of 207, posting Kent’s highest-ever total against Northants – beating Frank Woolley’s 217 in 1926.
Dickson pointed up to Matt Walker on the balcony after reaching 276, in recognition of passing his coach’s post-war milestone of 275 recorded against Somerset at Canterbury in 1996.
Dickson said: “I pointed up to him, I just wanted to acknowledge him in that moment. There was absolutely no spitefulness in the gesture I assure you.”
When Dickson reached 295 just after lunch on Tuesday he passed Les Ames for the third-highest score in club history and the highest home score by a Kent batsman belonged to Bill Ashdown – until Dickson overhauled his unbeaten 305 against Derbyshire at Dover in 1935.
Ashdown’s club record of 332 against Essex at Brentwood the previous year proved a step too far, as Dickson holed out for 318.
He revealed: “I was aware of the 332 but in that situation, though I wanted it, it felt very far away. I know it’s only 14 runs, but it felt a long way. If the ball I’d hit had gone for six then I suppose it’s down to eight and that feels a lot closer.
“It still hasn’t sunk in to be honest, and it might not for a little while. I am still very overwhelmed, but it was just another day in the job I guess.” Division 2, Key: CC2 = Specsavers County Championship T20 = NatWest T20 Blast