More than pride at stake
Leeds & Broomfield and The Mote launch their Kent League Championship seasons with a mouthwatering local derby between two sides whose backstories could hardly be more contrasting.
In the away dressing room at the picturesque Leeds Castle ground on Saturday will be The Mote, six times winners of the Kent League’s top division who hosted county cricket from 1881 until 2005 and traditionally have been the senior club in the area.
Leeds, in the home dressing room, are one of Kent club cricket’s modern success stories whose rise from village status, led initially by former Kent and England bowler Martin McCague, has brought eight promotions since 2008 and last year a Lord’s final after securing the Kent League Division 1 title the week before.
The two clubs meet for the first time in the Kent League in a game that will provide the best indication yet of whether the tectonic plates of cricket locally are shifting.
“There’s nothing like a derby fixture to ease us into the season,” Max Aitken, the Leeds top-order batsman said with more than a hint of irony. “Obviously being two local clubs we know quite a few of their players and they will know quite a few of ours.
“But we’ve not played at this level, so there’s no scar tissue, and with that comes a lot of optimism. But at the same time we’re aware this is a step up and there’s nothing like a local derby to get us going.
“The Mote have so much depth and experience and are the kind of side that even if you have them 40-4, can still go on and get 250.”
It will be a weekend of local derbies for Leeds, who on Sunday commence their Voneus Village Cup campaign at home to two-time previous Lord’s winners Linton Park, eight months after Leeds lost a low-scoring Final to Sheffield side Milford Hall in front of 1,200 of their own travelling supporters.
Aitken was among the spectators having dislocated a collar bone in the competition in July, causing him to miss the rest of the season, and he admitted: “It was a hard watch for me and for those who did play for Leeds both a brilliant and an horrific day rolled into one.
“But we take away so many amazing memories, particularly of the crowd and the 1,200 or so we did take up there sounded like 20,000. But of course there will always be that feeling that we should have won it.” The Mote ended last season fourth in the Championship but have been strengthened by the return of the White brothers, Matthew and Jason, whose move to divisional rivals Linden Park last year lasted for just one season.
Matt White, the club captain in 2021 and 2022, has already found some form in between the downpours that have inhibited the pre-season friendlies, with 81 against a Hayes side led by Alex Blake.
The Mote have a third captain in three seasons in New Zealand-born Mike Ruffell, who was their league leading run scorer last season with 553 runs, while Dylan De Villiers, the South African, is back for a second season as overseas player. De Villiers was also among the runs against Hayes with 51.
Both teams appear to be a bowler light with the chief strength of either side located in the batting.
Leeds are again led by captain George Davis, who also has a half-century under his belt in the friendlies in a 24-run success over OD CUACO.
Davis scored three league centuries while averaging more than 55 last season in the league while above him was Ed Scrivens, brother of Trent Rockets professional Grace Scrivens, who led the side in the National Village campaign. His 654 Kent League runs last season were averaged at a fraction under 60.
Leeds have also been recruiting and Linton will not be elated to lose Cambridge undergraduate William Roxburgh to their local rivals having averaged more than 50 for their first team last year and neither will Staplehurst, whose young allrounder George Sturgess has also headed up the road.
Henry Ware, a young leg-spinner from Hastings, also joins, and Aitken concluded: “They are all youngsters and it’s brilliant that we have so much young talent in and around the first team.”
Offham 1sts beat Nonington 2nds by five wickets in their opening Kent League Division 6 Hurricane fixture.
Tom Miller and Ben Gittings each took 2-5 as Nonington were out for 98, while Charlie Flint (31 not out) top-scored in reply. In the same division, Leeds & Broomfield 2nds started with a 46-run success against East Langdon 1sts.
Ben Davis fell one run short of a century in Leeds’ 233-7, with their opponents 187 all out. Addington Village 2nds were 10-run winners over Gravesend RF 2nds in Division 10 Knott. Jackson Todman (28) helped Addington to 108-5, followed by 4-15 from Neal Watts as Gravesend slipped to 98 all out.