Samphire Hoe provides great variety
Cricket Croquet Angling
Kent and England batsman Zak Crawley hopes there is room in next week’s first Test against West Indies for both himself and teammate Joe Denly.
Crawley, 22, impressed against South Africa in the winter, replacing the injured Rory Burns, and hopes to be involved again next week.
Both he and Denly have been part of the training group and the pair are hoping to stake their claim in the top order. Burns is back but captain Joe Root is set to miss out to attend the birth of his child.
The England players have been training at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton since last Tuesday and the team for the first test will be picked following a threeday practice match which started yesterday (Wednesday). Crawley, who made his England Test debut in New Zealand at the back end of last year, hopes both men can impress and admits it’s “slightly odd” to be competing with a team-mate and a friend. The Canterbury-based righthander said: “I get on really well with Joe and I wish him every success.
“Ideally we’d both play, and we both play together for a long while. That said, he’s desperate to play for England as am I, and we’ll still be good friends whatever happens.”
Crawley opened for his country against South Africa alongside
Royal Tunbridge Wells Croquet Club are to host an introduction to the sport for potential new members this month.
Newcomers can play at the club’s Calverley Grounds in Tunbridge Wells, a top-class facility that hosted the Golf Croquet World Championship last year.
The first introductory sessions are scheduled for Friday,
July 10 and Saturday, July 11. Sessions will be for complete beginners, and teach from holding a mallet to being able to play complete games. The cost is just £25 and the club will provide all equipment needed.
For more information and to book visit the website at tunbridgewellscroquet.org.uk.
Dominic Sibley and scored a century for England the last time they played, in a game against a Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, but knows Burns’ return could mean he’s looking at the no.3 or four berth.
He said: “Rory’s done very well in the games he’s played, he got runs in a very tough Ashes series. “He’s proven himself to be successful at the Test level. I haven’t quite completely proven myself yet but hopefully, with a couple of scores, I can get to that point.
“I know for a fact that with this competition I will improve. Even if I don’t get the call-up that I want, I’ll only improve as a player because of it. I definitely welcome it and long may it continue. It would be good for the England side if it continues for a long while.
“It’s great to see how much competition there is across the board.
“I’m just concentrating on my own game and trying to get myself in really good touch so they can maybe be impressed with what they see and pick me in the side.” Crawley, meanwhile, has added his voice to those calling for recreational cricket to return. He’s registered with Kent Cricket League side Sevenoaks Vine along with Kent captain Sam Billings. “We have friends who want to play. I feel like it’s time to bring it back,” he said.
County cricket will return at the start of August. Kent are likely to play a four-day competition followed by a T20 tournament, although both are expected to be heavily regionalised.
It is good news for sea anglers that the Samphire Hoe venue is now open for angling.
This snaggy venue is capable of producing all manner of species not so readily found in our region, including black bream, garfish and conger eels.
Pictured is Danny Farrant who spent a day at the Hoe to land this 6lb wriggler.
Just around the corner on the beach John Sharp landed a very tasty lobster. If you had to buy this 7lb beauty you had better have a fat wallet!
I had a few hours in the evening of the opening season at my local pond and had some fine sport with small carp and bream. I have been fishing this pond for more years than I care to remember. Let us just say the Bay City Rollers and ABBA were the top of the pop groups! Tight lines.
Members from Marines Angling Club held a friendly competition, fishing either side of Deal Pier, with dogfish being the main catch of the night.
First place went to Kevin Hadlow, who had 30 fish for 31lb 11oz, while second was Nikki Davies with 29 fish for 29lb 7oz and third place went to Billy Johnson (25 fish for 26lb 7oz). Heaviest fish was a dogfish of 2lb for Kyle Mackenzie-Frazer.
Anglers have been enjoying the first few days of the coarse fishing season.
The River Stour has been busy and one of the best catches fell to Guy Langston, fishing at Fordwich. He banked 17 specimen bream to 8lb.
The close season for coarse fishing on rivers ran from March 5 to June 15 and some good catches have been recorded since by members of the Canterbury and District Angling Association. At Fordwich Lake, junior angler Henry Weir caught four bream, his best a 7lb 4oz fish, three tench to 5lb 8oz and 50 roach to 12oz. Carp anglers also faired well with Ben Johnson topping the weights having landed three big carp, his best a very fine 37lb mirror. Andy Davies caught four weighty carp that included a 34lb common and a 26lb fullyscaled mirror carp.
Three apiece went to Keith Minter and Ray Long. Minter’s best was a 25lb mirror and Long’s a 23lb common carp. Another 23lb carp, this time a mirror, was coaxed by Colin Hurst.
Stour Lake at Fordwich hosted a number of anglers including Gary Hougham, who finished with an 18lb mirror carp and 40 good bream while Kev Ratcliffe also tussled with another sizeable Stour carp in the shape of a 16lb common. Keith Heckley opted to fish on Trenley Lake and ended his session with a rod-bending
18lb mirror.
At Stonar Lake, anglers have reeled in all species of fish, including Kate Cox with five carp to 16lb 1oz and Andy Cox with five more to 17lb 15oz. Peter Yates’ mixed bag of rudd and bream included some fine rudd to 1lb 3oz and bream to 3lb 8oz and he finished his day with 15 fish.
Rudd to 2lb accompanied bream to 4lb and a 9lb common carp were all caught by Gary Langston. Another mixed bag of small tench, roach to 8oz and rudd to 2lb 2oz fell to Chris Johnson. Rudd to 1lb and 25 bream to 6lb 8oz graced Clive Fox’s landing net at Stonar. Colin Winbush hooked four good bream, four small carp to 10lb, eight mirror carp to 18lb 10oz and finally three big common carp to 20lb 10oz. A number of big eel have been seen including a 4lb fish landed by Mick Archibald.
Bob Wilkins targeted smaller coarse fish and banked perch to 1lb 8oz and bream to 4lb 8oz, while Keith Bell’s 22 all-bream haul included fish to 4lb.
The Canterbury and District Angling Association is open to new members of all ages and experience. Details can be obtained by telephoning 01227 710830 during office hours. Please note the office has been very busy at this time but be patient, applications will be dealt with. For the safety of the staff, the office remains closed for all visitors.