Results in week sixteen mean that the chase for the Kent League Premier Division title and the battle to avoid relegation are still open.
League leaders St Lawrence & Highfield Court would have almost had the championship tied up had they won at home to third placed Hayes, but they had other ideas. The hosts were invited to bat first but would have been out for under a hundred had it not been for Richard Heywood’s 35 not out batting at ten. Connor Byrne took 6 for 18 and Will MacVicar 3 for 33 as the hosts were bowled out for 118.
Will Harby scored 49 and MacVicar 45 not out as Hayes cruised to victory by eight wickets with just over seventeen overs unused.
Starting the day in second place, Blackheath would have been hot on their heels had they not lost a thriller at fourth placed Tunbridge Wells. They were also asked to bat first and Mason Robinson and Karanjot Singh each scored exactly 50 in their total of 204. Mike Churchill returned 4 for 44 and Michael Waller 3 for 29.
Alex Williams scored 63 but it took James Poulsom with 30 not out to guide them home by one wicket with four balls remaining despite Niaz Khan’s 4 for 27.
At the other end of the table, Sevenoaks Vine made themselves safe by winning at Minster. They also elected to field first and the pace of George Garrett, who took 4 for 51, helped bowl out the hosts for 169 in under 32 overs. Only James Thompson, with 51 resisted.
Aron Nijar’s 3 for 15 gave Minster hope but Chris Vernon’s 38 saw Vine home by four wickets with nine and a half overs unused.
Bottom club Lordswood gave themselves an outside hope of staying up when beating eighth placed Whitstable at home. They took full advantage of being put in when amassing 259 for 8. Linden Lockhart scored 73, Edward Taylor, 53, and Calum MacLeod 40. Cameron Wilshaw, 4 for 50, and Cullan Larkin, 4 for 73, took all of the wickets to fall.
Opener Justin MacVicar scored 41 but was one of Ant Quinn’s five victims at a cost of 25 as they were dismissed for 134. Connor Dale was also amongst the wickets with 3 for 44.
Finally, in mid table, fifth placed Bromley hosted sixth placed Bexley in the 269 bus derby. As was the case in all of the games in the division, the winners of the toss deferred the batting so it was the visitors who had the first knock. Having been reduced to 69 for 4, George Haley, 81, and Leo Selvey-Clinton helped them to 235 for 8. Former Bexley all-rounder Ryan Cartwright took 3 for 53.
Although Stan Greenleaf scored 33, the hosts lost wickets regularly and were bowled out for 151. Shaun Evans was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 14.
Image courtesy of Keith Gillard