Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Spitfires hit peak form at just the right time
Skipper Sam Northeast believes Kent are peaking at just the right time after they beat Sussex to clinch their place in the Royal London One- Day Cup quarter-finals for a third successive year.
Tuesday’s seven-wicket win at Hove was Kent’s third in eight days, earning them second place behind Essex in the South Group and a home tie with Yorkshire on Thursday, August 18 (2pm).
Few would have given Kent much chance of qualifying after their six-wicket defeat against W Middlesex at Lord’s on July 24 but Northeast says he feels the players are finally hitting their stride.
He said: “We’ve been sort of playing better cricket as the competition has gone on, we’re starting to peak.
“There was some good stuff today starting from ball one (at Sussex).
“The two opening bowlers were brilliant. I thought Mitch’s figures stood out and Colesy bowled with some real aggression and then we Kent spinner James Tredwell says he is hugely honoured to have been granted a benefit year in 2017.
The 34-year-old England international made his Kent debut in 2001 and has taken around 800 wickets in all forms of the game for the county.
The longest serving member of the Kent squad, he captained the club in 2013 and also has played twice for England in Tests as well as making 17 international T20 appearances and 45 in one-day internationals.
Ever modest Tredwell – Kent’s leading wicket taker in T20 cricket – says he is delighted to have been given the honour and to be following in the footsteps of some illustrious predecessors, including team-mate Darren Stevens, who celebrates his benefit this year.
Tredwell, who claimed his 400th First-class scalp this summer, said: “You never think that those days are coming up, you’re just playing your cricket. I’ve been at the club just followed it up from But Finch and Cachopa there. revived the innings
“With the new ball there until Cachopa had his was a bit in it (for the off-stump knocked back Sussex bowlers) but we by Darren Stevens. felt that if we got past that, Finch went on to make we were pretty confident.” 54 from 88 balls and
A stand of 103 in 112 Hudson-prentice scored balls for the third wicket 48 off 54 deliveries but between Sam Billings there wasn’t much more and Northeast provided batting from Sussex as the platform for Kent’s Coles finished with 4-39 victory in a match reduced going to 100 List A wickets to 43 overs because of rain. in the process.
The Sussex total of 182-8 He is also the leading revolved around two wicket taker in the partnerships, one of 68 competition this season in 16 overs for the fourth with 21 victims at an wicket between Harry average of around Finch18.andcraigcachopa and another of 50 for the fifth wicket between Finch and Fynn HudsonPrentice.
Almost immediately, Sussex – who were already out of the competition – were floundering at 5-3 in the fifth over as Matt Coles, generating plenty of pace and bounce from the Cromwell Road end, dismissed both openers.
Davi s wa s the n caught by Alex Blake at midwicket off Mitchell Claydon for a duck. for a number of years now and to be honoured in this way is a hugely proud moment.
“There have been ups and down along the way but it’s been a hugely enjoyable time from under-11 really.
“The amount of players who have had benefits at the club, they’ve been hugely successful players so to follow some of those, or all of those, Stevo included, is again a proud honour.”
Ashford-born Tredwell did have a brief loan spell at Sussex in 2014 but he says that helped him regain his place back at Kent and he is lucky to have achieved most of his ambitions.
He added: “The county stuff is great and I’ve been lucky enough to go on and play for England which you always dream about as a kid.
“I even tossed the coin for England (Tredwell captained England against New Zealand in a T20
hen Kent batted, the y lost Dani e l Bell-drummond for 14 and Joe Denly for 24.
But Northeast, with an unbeaten 66, including five fours and a six off Danny Briggs and Billings, who hit eight fours in 55, made sure there would be no slip-up.
When Billings was bowled by Davis they required just another 29 runs and they got home with 12.1 overs to spare to secure their last eight spot. international at The Oval which was washed out after just two balls in 2013) so I guess I’ve sort of ticked all the boxes really in terms of the dreams as a kid.”
Tredwell says he has a whole host of people to thank for his career, not least his father John, who passed away in April.
He said: “The thanks are pretty endless, obviously my parents were pretty instrumental (in his career) and my father, who has not long passed away so it is a quite fitting thing to have happened. He passed away in April but he would loved to have seen this so it’s a shame he’s not around.
“Then there are all the coaches over the years, the whole family and everyone I’ve played with through Folkestone and Brookland cricket clubs, all my age group teams, I could go on and on.
“It’s difficult to single any out too many people at the moment.”