Kentish Express Ashford & District
Walker backed skipper to shine
Head coach Matt Walker said he was not the least bit surprised to see skipper Sam Northeast lead from the front in Thursday’s NatWest T20 Blast win over Somerset at Canterbury. Northeast’s unbeaten 54 turned what looked like being a potentially awkward chase into a sevenwicket win with nine balls to spare and Walker said he felt the knock had been coming. He said: “I had a good feeling about Sam tonight, he’s worked hard in the last week or two. “It hasn’t quite happened for him, he’s shown some nice signs in a couple of games but today he was back to his best. “There was lots of clean hitting, he was in control and dominated from the moment he went out to bat. “He showed good intent, so yes I’m pleased with him but we’re getting that confidence now in all the middle order. “I know today we had a good foundation so we weren’t under a huge amount of pressure but Alex Blake’s 20 and Sam Billings (14 not out) – coming in at the end and doing what he does with good energy – it will give us a lot of confidence going forward.” Kent’s reply started with Joe Denly (46) and Daniel BellDrummond (39) attacking during the powerplay before a rainstoppage saw the target reduced from 198 to 181 from 18 overs. One disappointment for the Spitfires on the night was a recurrence of Adam Milne’s thigh injury which forced him out of the contest after he had bowled just two overs for 34 runs. Walker esaid: “It’s the same problem and it’s frustrating both for us and Adam. He worked hard to get back for today and everything was in place. He was ready to go and unfortunately it hasn’t held up. “I don’t know the full extent of it but he’ll have an assessment with the physio and we’ll be a bit clearer on the situation.” “I’m upset for him because I know how disappointed he is. We’ll just have to wait and see.” KENT’S NEXT FIVE GAMES Aug 4 Sussex (Canterbury)..........T20 Aug 6 West Indies (Canterbury)....TM Aug 11 Hampshire (Canterbury) ...T20