Kent 2^nd XI claimed their 2^nd successive Second XI Championship win at Maidstone this week, with a comprehensive 94-run victory over neighbours Essex.

After being set a challenging 344 for victory on the final day, with both sides having been forced into changes due to call-ups for T20 matches, Essex were hampered by the loss of their two highest run scorers from the first innings and couldn’t maintain their run chase into the last hour.

Kent dominated the first day after winning the toss, with South African triallist Sean Dickson hitting a Championship-best 177.  Darren Stevens, who contributed 68, joined him in a 161-run partnership for the 4th wicket.  On a flat Mote track, Essex used 10 bowlers to try to contain Kent’s run-rate, as the home side declared on 400-7.

The Essex openers survived the last 10 overs of day 1, but were dismissed within half an hour of the start of the 2^nd day.  Essex skipper, Greg Smith (93) and Kishen Velani (86) put on 145 for the third wicket in 25.3 overs to wrestle some control away from Kent, and Jack Sterland added a further 75, to put the visitors in sight of parity at 331-6.  However, the last 4 wickets fell for 11 runs, giving Kent a 58-run lead; Imran Qayyum finishing with 4-82.

Knowing that Stevens would be one of three players leaving on the final day, he was promoted to open with Dickson, and reached his 2^nd half-century of the match on his way to 75, with Kent closing day 2 on 131-3; 189 ahead.  Alex Blake decided attack was the best option with a rapid 31, but it took a patient innings of 45 from triallist wicketkeeper Edward Wilson to take Kent up to 285; Aron Nijjar bowling unchanged through the first session of day 3 and being rewarded with 5-110.

Essex started their chase for 344 positively through Dan Lawrence (58) and Saf Imtiaz (80), but the dismissal of Callum Taylor (42) on the stroke of tea proved crucial, especially with Smith and Velani absent, having returned to Chelmsford.  In the final session, no-one was able to rebuild the momentum, as another South African triallist, Johannes Bothma bowled a long spell for 5-51, and Qayyum picked up a second ‘4-fer’ with 4-102 to take Kent to victory.

Day four, Friday, saw the two sides play two T20 matches, with each side claiming a win apiece.  Both sides showed changes from the Championship match; Kent being affected more with the loss of Adam Ball and Alex Blake to the Spitfire’s T20 side.

Game one saw the pendulum swing from side to side as the match reached its tight finish; Essex finally claiming the victory by ONE wicket with 5 balls remaining.  Kent had chosen to bat first, but were well controlled in the first half of the innings, reaching 63-5 in the 11^th over.  Brendan Nash showed his experience compiling a measured 53 not out, well supported by Charlie Hartley and Marcus O’Riordan, to get his side up to 135-8.

It looked as though this might be too much for Essex, with only Dan Lawrence, who had earlier taken a county-record 4 catches in addition to his first T20 wicket (1-15), looking comfortable with a 30-ball 39.  When he fell at 74-6, former Surrey bowler Jack Winslade demonstrated his batting prowess to put the game back in Essex’s favour, by picking the right ball to hit on his way to 43 off 28 balls.  With 3 runs still needed to win, Winslade was the 9^th man out, beaten by Wilson’s direct throw at the bowler’s end, but Essex crept over the line with a boundary off the first ball of the last over.

Game two followed a similar pattern with Essex restricting Kent’s scoring options in the early overs; the home side reaching 57-3 in the 10^th over.  Two Academy batsmen, Zak Crawley (33) and O’Riordan added 34, allowing the lower order to bat with some freedom; adding 53 off the last 5.3 overs with Charlie Hartley hitting 24.

Johannes Bothma took 2 wickets in his first over, but Essex skipper, Jaik Mickleburgh (48) and Callum Taylor (21) took the visitors up to 71 in the 10^th over, which was bowled by O’Riordan.  Three wickets in 4 balls turned the game back in Kent’s favour, and apart from 24 from Aron Nijjar, Essex’s innings subsided to 118 all out; 28 runs short.