Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Coach quits Kent role
SEARCH IS ON FOR BATTING HELP AS TEN DOESCHATE LEAVES
The search for a new batting coach is on at Kent after Ryan ten Doeschate’s departure.
Former Essex captain ten Doeschate only began his spell at Kent in January last year having retired from playing. The former Netherlands international, 42, is set to join the Kolkata Knight Riders as their fielding coach for this year’s Indian Premier League. On ten Doeschate’s departure, Kent head coach Matt Walker said: “It’s not that surprising. “I think he, obviously, had a lot of good offers on the table around franchise cricket. It was short and sweet for Tendo, and we’ll miss him.
“But we’ll look out for a new batting coach and we’re in the process of recruiting somebody.” Helping to bolster Kent’s coaching staff during this summer will be 41-year-old Michael Hogan.
Seam bowler Hogan has signed as a player but will also be part of the club’s coaching set-up for their defence of the Royal London One-day Cup. Walker explained: “With that much experience up his sleeve, I know he’ll be able to help some of our younger bowlers, too. “We’ve got a little bit of experience around the group but Michael is the most experienced bowler we’ll have in our team. That’ll be great.
“He’ll, hopefully, pass on that experience to our younger bowlers.
“That’s definitely another reason why we signed him to have that experience and ability to guide some of the guys that are still learning and developing.”
Hogan has re-thought plans to retire, instead joining Kent on a one-year contract in a switch which will raise a few eyebrows given his age.
But Walker still thinks Australian-born Hogan, who qualifies as a domestic cricketer due to his English passport and length of service in the county game, has plenty to offer having been a standout performer in English cricket since he joined Glamorgan in 2013.
“He’s a great signing,” he said. “Everyone thought he might be retiring, but it turned out he still wanted to play. We approached him and he had a bit of a think about it, and he still feels that he’s got a bit to offer.
“His numbers are outstanding. The last seven or eight seasons, he’s bowled the most overs for Glamorgan in Championship cricket. He’s played a lot of T20s and, obviously, got picked up by a Hundred side last year. “He’s still extremely fit and an experienced campaigner. He’ll give us some experience and he’s a player we’ve signed who you know what you’ll get from. He’s extremely consistent, takes wickets, and I’m really pleased with that signing.
“I know he’s 41 but he’s a very fit 41 - certainly he’s got a couple more years up his sleeve. We needed to strengthen our bowling attack and, with what he does, the experience he has and the know-how he’s got across all formats, he gives us a really good option. “Bowlers are hard to come by. When he came up, it was interesting for us to be able to explore that option.” With Walker away at The Hundred last year, bowling coach Simon Cook led Kent to their One-day Cup success, their second trophy in as many years. But the Kent coach also highlighted the work some of the Spitfires’ unsung heroes put in within that successful campaign which culminated at Trent Bridge with a 21-run
final triumph in September over Lancashire.
“We also had Mark Dekker who stepped up from the second-team and Nick Wilton as a keeping/fielding coach,” he noted. “Those guys stepped up, too, which was great for them.
“It was a great experience for those guys to be involved and take a more senior role.” Kent’s club president for 2024 will become just the third woman to hold the role. Judy Ufton has been a key figure around the club and the
Kent sporting scene for many years, supporting her husband - the legendary late Kent wicketkeeper Derek Ufton, who died in 2021.
She will succeed former England and Kent captain Chris Cowdrey in the role.