Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "blackpoo"
County Championship Cricket
Kent’s fifth Championship visit to Stanley Park
Next Sunday, 22 June, Kent visit Stanley Park to play Lancashire in a Rothesay County Championship Division 2 clash that sees both sides struggling at the wrong end of the table. Kent are bottom with two wins and 65 points from their seven matches while winless Lancashire have 66 points gathered from their two defeats and five drawn matches. It is, therefore, an important game for both counties who are desperate to get away from the wrong end of the table.
Kent opening batsman Ben Compton is their leading scorer having hit three centuries in his 688 runs, average 52.92, while Tawanda Muyeye has a creditable 437 with one century and three half-centuries averages 33.61. Australian Grant Stewart, also with one century and two half-centuries, has 439 runs at an average of 43.90 while captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has a double century to his name in his 392 runs.
Zimbabwean Nathan Gilchrist leads the bowling with 23 wickets at 26.34 runs apiece with a best of 7-100 while Stewart has 15 wickets at 26.93, Kashif Ali 11 at 50.72 and Joey Evison is the only other bowler with double figures, 10 at 29.00.
Australian Marcus Harris with 825 runs at an average of 63.46 with three centuries and three half centuries puts him over 300 runs ahead of his nearest challengers, Keaton Jennings, 513 runs at an average of 36.64 with one century and two half-centuries and Luke Wells, 504 at 38.76. Only Josh Bohannon, 391 runs at 30.07, of the other batsmen has a century to his name.
Of the bowlers, George Balderstone, 19 wickets at 32.97, leads the way while the two Toms, Bailey, 15 at 40.20, and Hartley, 14 at 41.28, are close behind.
The history of the Blackpool games against Kent began in 1961 when a rain-interrupted match was drawn. Batting first Lancashire opened with a 77-run partnership between Bob Barber, 24 and Geoff Pullar, 57, but then wickets fell regularly until they reached 202-9. There followed a 52-run partnership for the last wicket between Ken Higgs, 27, and Colin Hilton, 22 not out, his career-best score to that time. Their final total of 254, in which Kent’s Yorkshire-born leg spinner David Baker took 5-87, was still 122 too many for Kent who, after an opening partnership of 54 to which Peter Richardson contributed the innings’ top score of 34, were dismissed for 132. Roy Collins took his 50th wicket of the season and finished with 5-39 while Brian Statham took his 1500th first-class wicket and Hilton reached 150 wickets for his career.
Rain interfered with the remainder of the match so Lancashire declared on 199-3, Brian Booth, 88 not out, and Ken Grieves, 57, putting on 119 for the third wicket. There was insufficient time left for a result so Kent batted out time at 167-3 with Lancashire using seven bowlers. Bob Wilson, 46, top scored for Kent while 37-year-old Arthur Phebey, played the last of his 320 games for the county.
Three years later Kent were at Stanley Park once more in August 1964 and once again the match was drawn. There was a crowd of 3,000 on the opening day when Kent won the toss and put Lancashire in to bat on a pitch about which the Liverpool Daily Post reported, ‘There was an air of uncertainty about the green pitch’.
And so it proved as Duncan Worsley took 65 minutes over his 10 runs and only Bob Entwistle, 25, and Peter Marner, a top score of 37, provided some bright moments with a fourth-wicket stand of 50 made in 25 minutes. Geoff Clayton was his usual sheet-anchor self, taking two hours and 10 minutes over his 36 and along the way ‘aroused some critical comment from the crowd’! And with Alan Dixon taking 5-63 and young reserve wicketkeeper, 17-year-old Alan Knott playing only his fourth Championship game, taking five catches, Lancashire were dismissed for a painful 169 made in four hours and five minutes. Kent made inroads into the Lancashire total in the final 95 minutes, and with opener Mike Denness making 53 they closed on 115-3.
Day two saw the all (subsequently) international Lancashire attack of Statham, 4-75, Ken Higgs, 3-67 Ken Shuttleworth, 1-45, and Sonny Ramadhin, 1-24, bowl Kent out for 212, a lead of 43 runs. David Nicholls top scored with 81 but Kent’s last five wickets fell for 41 runs.
Lancashire’s second innings owed a lot to Worsley who batted over four hours and made his maiden first-class century for Lancashire, 104, with his only serious support coming from Grieves who made 72. Otherwise, Kent whittled their way through the Lancashire batting order to dismiss them for 285, leaving Kent to score 243 for victory.
Time was against them but, after losing Brian Luckhurst early again, they made every effort early in their innings. But with Higgs bowling an unbroken and economic 90-minute spell and Ramadhin’s 20 overs costing just 39 runs, with three wickets, Kent had to settle for the draw at 193-6 with Wilson holding the innings together with 75 not out.
Two years later when a 65-over restriction in the first innings of games was introduced in an attempt to make the matches more dynamic and appealing to spectators, Kent returned to Stanley Park. And even with a moderate total of 251-8 in the statuary 65-overs Kent won the game by an innings and 30 runs! And a legendary England bowler finished with 6-9 in the first innings!
Lancashire batted first and made a paltry 62 all out in 40.1 overs with four players making double figures but none of them reaching 20! Worsley made 14, Harry Pilling and Keith Goodwin (career average 5.78) both made 13, and Shuttleworth made 11. Derek Underwood was the destructive bowler with figures of 10.1-7-9-6!
Kent had a lead of 22 when they lost their first wicket and with their first four making a combined 188, Luckhurst 40, Denness 45, Wilson 47 and Colin Cowdrey 56, they continued to reach their 251-8, a lead of 189. Jimmy Cumbes was the most successful bowler taking a then career-best 4-42.
Following on, Barry Wood in only his seventh game for Lancashire made 31 and was only outscored by Worsley with 76 not out. Notwithstanding, a total of 159 spelt an innings defeat with Underwood taking 4-59 to give him match figures of 10-68 to become the first visiting player to return a 10-wicket haul in 47 Championship games at the ground. His record stood for 31 years, overtaken by Graeme Welsh of Warwickshire’s 11-140 in 1997.
And Kent’s last visit to Blackpool was 22 years ago in 2003 when a game of 1211 runs ended in a draw with Lancashire just behind in the scoring, albeit in two innings to Kent’s one, 602 to 609!
In the first three days of the match only 13 wickets fell in 267 overs for 949 runs and Kent with a ground record 602-6 declared had the better of that equation. Ed Smith, 203, just failed by two runs to break the visitors’ record individual score on the ground (Peter Kirsten 204 not out for Derbyshire in 1981), Matt Walker made 150, Mark Ealham 95 and Geraint Jones 66 not out.
On the final day Lancashire were bowled out in their first innings for 365 with the last five wickets going down for 35 runs, quite contrary to what had preceded it! With the best part of a day remaining Kent hopes were high and when three wickets were down for 12 runs, prospects for their victory were high. However, it was not to be as Carl Hooper held the innings together with a 290-minute 128 not out, helped by 40 from Chris Schofield’s 85-minute 40 and rearguard action by Glenn Chapple and Warren Hegg who held out for 47 and 88 minutes respectively for nine and 16 not out. So with Lancashire 244-6 from 84 overs the game was drawn. And Hooper became the third player in the history of the game to score a century against all 18 counties.
But for the moment the focus is most definitely on the fight to get away from the foot of the Division 2 table and perhaps from then on, to fight for a promotion place! Well we can hope, can’t we? Don’t miss it, 22 to 25 June at Stanley Park.
Next Sunday, 22 June, Kent visit Stanley Park to play Lancashire in a Rothesay County Championship Division 2 clash that sees both sides struggling at the wrong end of the table. Kent are bottom with two wins and 65 points from their seven matches while winless Lancashire have 66 points gathered from their two defeats and five drawn matches. It is, therefore, an important game for both counties who are desperate to get away from the wrong end of the table.
Kent opening batsman Ben Compton is their leading scorer having hit three centuries in his 688 runs, average 52.92, while Tawanda Muyeye has a creditable 437 with one century and three half-centuries averages 33.61. Australian Grant Stewart, also with one century and two half-centuries, has 439 runs at an average of 43.90 while captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has a double century to his name in his 392 runs.
Zimbabwean Nathan Gilchrist leads the bowling with 23 wickets at 26.34 runs apiece with a best of 7-100 while Stewart has 15 wickets at 26.93, Kashif Ali 11 at 50.72 and Joey Evison is the only other bowler with double figures, 10 at 29.00.
Australian Marcus Harris with 825 runs at an average of 63.46 with three centuries and three half centuries puts him over 300 runs ahead of his nearest challengers, Keaton Jennings, 513 runs at an average of 36.64 with one century and two half-centuries and Luke Wells, 504 at 38.76. Only Josh Bohannon, 391 runs at 30.07, of the other batsmen has a century to his name.
Of the bowlers, George Balderstone, 19 wickets at 32.97, leads the way while the two Toms, Bailey, 15 at 40.20, and Hartley, 14 at 41.28, are close behind.
The history of the Blackpool games against Kent began in 1961 when a rain-interrupted match was drawn. Batting first Lancashire opened with a 77-run partnership between Bob Barber, 24 and Geoff Pullar, 57, but then wickets fell regularly until they reached 202-9. There followed a 52-run partnership for the last wicket between Ken Higgs, 27, and Colin Hilton, 22 not out, his career-best score to that time. Their final total of 254, in which Kent’s Yorkshire-born leg spinner David Baker took 5-87, was still 122 too many for Kent who, after an opening partnership of 54 to which Peter Richardson contributed the innings’ top score of 34, were dismissed for 132. Roy Collins took his 50th wicket of the season and finished with 5-39 while Brian Statham took his 1500th first-class wicket and Hilton reached 150 wickets for his career.
Rain interfered with the remainder of the match so Lancashire declared on 199-3, Brian Booth, 88 not out, and Ken Grieves, 57, putting on 119 for the third wicket. There was insufficient time left for a result so Kent batted out time at 167-3 with Lancashire using seven bowlers. Bob Wilson, 46, top scored for Kent while 37-year-old Arthur Phebey, played the last of his 320 games for the county.
Three years later Kent were at Stanley Park once more in August 1964 and once again the match was drawn. There was a crowd of 3,000 on the opening day when Kent won the toss and put Lancashire in to bat on a pitch about which the Liverpool Daily Post reported, ‘There was an air of uncertainty about the green pitch’.
And so it proved as Duncan Worsley took 65 minutes over his 10 runs and only Bob Entwistle, 25, and Peter Marner, a top score of 37, provided some bright moments with a fourth-wicket stand of 50 made in 25 minutes. Geoff Clayton was his usual sheet-anchor self, taking two hours and 10 minutes over his 36 and along the way ‘aroused some critical comment from the crowd’! And with Alan Dixon taking 5-63 and young reserve wicketkeeper, 17-year-old Alan Knott playing only his fourth Championship game, taking five catches, Lancashire were dismissed for a painful 169 made in four hours and five minutes. Kent made inroads into the Lancashire total in the final 95 minutes, and with opener Mike Denness making 53 they closed on 115-3.
Day two saw the all (subsequently) international Lancashire attack of Statham, 4-75, Ken Higgs, 3-67 Ken Shuttleworth, 1-45, and Sonny Ramadhin, 1-24, bowl Kent out for 212, a lead of 43 runs. David Nicholls top scored with 81 but Kent’s last five wickets fell for 41 runs.
Lancashire’s second innings owed a lot to Worsley who batted over four hours and made his maiden first-class century for Lancashire, 104, with his only serious support coming from Grieves who made 72. Otherwise, Kent whittled their way through the Lancashire batting order to dismiss them for 285, leaving Kent to score 243 for victory.
Time was against them but, after losing Brian Luckhurst early again, they made every effort early in their innings. But with Higgs bowling an unbroken and economic 90-minute spell and Ramadhin’s 20 overs costing just 39 runs, with three wickets, Kent had to settle for the draw at 193-6 with Wilson holding the innings together with 75 not out.
Two years later when a 65-over restriction in the first innings of games was introduced in an attempt to make the matches more dynamic and appealing to spectators, Kent returned to Stanley Park. And even with a moderate total of 251-8 in the statuary 65-overs Kent won the game by an innings and 30 runs! And a legendary England bowler finished with 6-9 in the first innings!
Lancashire batted first and made a paltry 62 all out in 40.1 overs with four players making double figures but none of them reaching 20! Worsley made 14, Harry Pilling and Keith Goodwin (career average 5.78) both made 13, and Shuttleworth made 11. Derek Underwood was the destructive bowler with figures of 10.1-7-9-6!
Kent had a lead of 22 when they lost their first wicket and with their first four making a combined 188, Luckhurst 40, Denness 45, Wilson 47 and Colin Cowdrey 56, they continued to reach their 251-8, a lead of 189. Jimmy Cumbes was the most successful bowler taking a then career-best 4-42.
Following on, Barry Wood in only his seventh game for Lancashire made 31 and was only outscored by Worsley with 76 not out. Notwithstanding, a total of 159 spelt an innings defeat with Underwood taking 4-59 to give him match figures of 10-68 to become the first visiting player to return a 10-wicket haul in 47 Championship games at the ground. His record stood for 31 years, overtaken by Graeme Welsh of Warwickshire’s 11-140 in 1997.
And Kent’s last visit to Blackpool was 22 years ago in 2003 when a game of 1211 runs ended in a draw with Lancashire just behind in the scoring, albeit in two innings to Kent’s one, 602 to 609!
In the first three days of the match only 13 wickets fell in 267 overs for 949 runs and Kent with a ground record 602-6 declared had the better of that equation. Ed Smith, 203, just failed by two runs to break the visitors’ record individual score on the ground (Peter Kirsten 204 not out for Derbyshire in 1981), Matt Walker made 150, Mark Ealham 95 and Geraint Jones 66 not out.
On the final day Lancashire were bowled out in their first innings for 365 with the last five wickets going down for 35 runs, quite contrary to what had preceded it! With the best part of a day remaining Kent hopes were high and when three wickets were down for 12 runs, prospects for their victory were high. However, it was not to be as Carl Hooper held the innings together with a 290-minute 128 not out, helped by 40 from Chris Schofield’s 85-minute 40 and rearguard action by Glenn Chapple and Warren Hegg who held out for 47 and 88 minutes respectively for nine and 16 not out. So with Lancashire 244-6 from 84 overs the game was drawn. And Hooper became the third player in the history of the game to score a century against all 18 counties.
But for the moment the focus is most definitely on the fight to get away from the foot of the Division 2 table and perhaps from then on, to fight for a promotion place! Well we can hope, can’t we? Don’t miss it, 22 to 25 June at Stanley Park.
