Tredwell joins the 400 club with fine display

James Tredwell admits he’s not one for dwelling on achievements but said he was pleased his 400th First-Class wicket was so pivotal to Kent’s championship win at Derby last week.

Off-spinner Tredwell marked his first championship start of the season by returning match figures of 6-134 from 42 overs as Kent overhauled an 80-run deficit to secure a stunning-seven wicket victory.

The two wickets Tredwell picked up in Derbyshire’s formidable first innings total of 492 took him to 399 career victims, and he did not have to wait long for No.400 as he bowled previously prolific home opener Chesney Hughes with just his second delivery after being thrown the ball for the second over by skipper Sam Northeast.

Tredwell, who finished the Derbyshire second innings with figures of 4-45, now has 778 wickets in all formats for Kent (from 551 matches), and 856 in total when you include his 78 international scalps.

He admitted it was nice to get to the 400 milestone particularly as the delivery which accounted for Hughes was one of his better ones.

Tredwell, who has played 160 First-Class matches since his debut in 2001, said: “I knew I was close to it (the 400 mark). I played for the MCC against Yorkshire pre-season and knew I’d got up to 397 but then I wasn’t playing so I thought ‘Will I ever get there?’

“Thankfully, I got a game and luckily put in a bit of a performance.

“These sort of things are great to have and look back on when you’ve finished playing.

“They’re great to have and tick off but more importantly we won the game.

“The ball itself was good one, it just drifted into middle stump, gripped a bit and flicked the off bail.

“There was another one later on which turned between bat and pad and bowled Shiv Thakor. They’re the sort of balls you dream of as a spinner but if you bowl on wickets like that, they can happen.”

Of the thinking behind his early introduction to the attack, Tredwell added: “We had Adam Ball bowling a little bit of leftarm over which created some footmarks for me to bowl into.”

Tredwell admitted he was slightly disappointed not to have figured in Kent’s opening five championship games particularly after taking match figures of 6-132 from 65 overs playing against Yorkshire for the MCC in the Champion County Match in Abu Dhabi in March.

The 34-year-old also had to come to terms with the death of his father John in the opening weeks of the campaign but he says playing among friends in the Kent League at Folkestone helped him keep his form and focus.

He added: “Folkestone did a hell of a lot for me when I was coming up through so to be able give something back is great.

“Not only that, there are three or four young Kent prospects at the club, Jan Gray, Thomas Jones and Tom Davis, along with several other youngsters and mates I’ve grown up with.

“I always enjoy going back to play with them. It’s never a chore.”

‘These sort of things are great to have and look back on when you’ve finished playing’