Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
A feather in our cap!
Head coach Matt Walker is delighted to see Kent’s players earning national recognition.
Fast bowler Nathan Gilchrist and wicketkeeper Jordan Cox are in Sri Lanka with the England Lions.
With opener Zak Crawley having become a regular in recent years in the England Test squad, and skipper Sam Billings also in and around England squads across various formats, it shows the cream of Kent’s crop are certainly well thought of nationally.
“It’s part of our job - as coaches and as a club - to try and produce England players,” said Walker. “Obviously, the other side of that is to win games of cricket and win trophies. But we want to produce England players as well. That’s our responsibility.
“It’s great that we have been able to do that. It shows things are working here and we’re doing the right things and the players are doing the right things.
“We have got an environment for those guys to succeed and develop and become the best players they can become. “That’s really important to us. We’re always very proud when people go on and play for the Lions or go on and play for the full England side.” Bowler Matt Milnes and wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Robinson also earned Lions callups while with Kent, although they moved on to Yorkshire and Durham respectively at the end of last season.
Walker said: “We have had a few now in Matt and Ollie previously, Coxy and Joe Denly and, obviously, Sam still in and amongst it.
“Now, we have Nathan as well. It’s great. You want players to come to Kent, knowing they can go on and play for England. “I think it shows a pathway for everybody that you can be at Kent and go on and succeed and play for higher honours. That’s what we try to facilitate. “But we need to make sure that we are winning games of cricket and we’re progressing as a county and challenging. “But, hopefully the by-product of that is young players - or any players - going on and earning high honours for the country.
“I think it’s very aspirational to see your team-mate going on and representing England at any level, and it shows that it can be done at counties like Kent.
“Whenever it happens, people are very proud of the player and proud of what everyone is doing to help this guy succeed. It’s good.
“I hope we have more. There’s definitely people that can go on and do the same and hopefully, over the next few years, we’ll see more players represent the full England side.
“That’s the dream, obviously, and the goal for everybody. We’ve had pretty good representation over the last four or five years. Long may that continue.” Cox is in England Lions’ oneday squad due to play three games against Sri Lanka A in Colombo, with the opening match scheduled for next Wednesday. Meanwhile Gilchrist - who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, but moved to England in 2016 - was part of the England Lions Test squad for two games against Sri Lanka A, the second of which is due to finish this Friday.
■ Batsman Joe Denly has become the latest Kent player to sign a contract extension, keeping him with the county now until the end of the 2025 season.
Canterbury scored a lastgasp try to take the National League 2 East derby spoils with a 31-29 win at Tonbridge Juddians, writes David Haigh. It was a pulsating end to a game that swung first the city club’s way and then, in a fiercely-contested second half, to a resurgent Juddians.
After overhauling Canterbury’s 14-point half-time lead, the home side thought they had won it through Tom White’s 79th-minute penalty. But a minute can be a long time in rugby and a committed Canterbury hurled themselves back into attack, kept the ball alive and fly-half Frank Reynolds squeezed over by the corner flag. To add to the tension there was a consultation between the referee and his assistant before the score was justly awarded. After the capitulation at Dorking the previous week, there was a new steel about Canterbury’s approach and the return of long-term absentees like Tristan King, Sam Sterling and, from the replacements’ bench, Charlie Kingsman, gave Matt Corker’s squad a more balanced look.
They fell behind to an early try from TJS centre Duncan Tout, but hit back with three of their own and gave nothing away in defence before the break. Cameron Murray finished off a precise handling move for the first score, hooker Nathan Morris completed a catch and drive and, in the last minute of the half, skipper Jamie Stephens crashed through despite Canterbury losing Sterling to the sin-bin.
The first 20 minutes of the second half put the city side through their sternest test. They defended brilliantly but lost Jesse Dr Vries to a yellow card and by the hour mark it was all square as the TJS backs produced tries for Bryan Hotston and Howard Packman, both converted by White.
Having come through the fire Canterbury’s composure paid off as they worked a fourth, bonus-point touchdown for front row man Eoin O’donoghue and Reynolds made his third successful conversion.
That seven-point advantage was quickly wiped out by the home side as Josh Van Buuren powered over the line and White brought the sides level again. When the experienced fly-half nervelessly landed that late penalty goal it seemed like job done, but Canterbury still had a last clear message - never write us off. Canterbury return to league action on February 18 with a home game against Sevenoaks.
Canterbury: Waddington, Hilton, Sterling, Hollidge (Kingsman), Morgan, Reynolds, Cooper (Williams), Young, Morris (O’donoghue), Herriott (Macmillan), Irvine (Morris), De Vries, King (Furneaux), Murray, Stephens.
■ Nine members of the Canterbury under-18s Colts team have been part of the Kent Colts squad which has just completed an unbeaten County Championship season. Chilosia Edozie, Ralph Harrison, Tor Evansbarnes, Harrison Lawton, Jonah Bagambe, Harrison Mackinnon, Bart Johnson, James Peters and Max Campbell have helped Kent claim victories over Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire.
■ Canterbury Pilgrims remain top of the Kent 2 table after being handed a walkover against bottom club Southwark Lancers.
The Lancers pulled out of their scheduled home game as they could not raise a side last weekend.
Pilgrims are due to visit Sidcup 2nd this Saturday.