There was a thriller between the top and second teams in week nine of the Kent League Premier Division.
Leaders Blackheath were displaced at the peak when at home by St Lawrence & Highfield Court after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Niaz Khan whacked 80, George Wells scored 33, and Matthew Golding 30 before they were bowled out for 243 with one over unused. Tom Copestake returned 3 for 33, Tom Elworthy 3 for 52, and John Grewar 3 for 56.
Dan Stickels, 56, and Fred Sharp, 40, put on 102 for the first wicket before wickets started to fall regularly. Jahid Ahmed took 3 for 30 and the Shrimpers were indebted to Grewar whose 29 not out saw them home by two wickets with two balls to spare.
Joint second placed Bexley visited Whitstable and were put to the sword by a hard hitting knock by Byron Gould after the hosts had been invited to bat first. He walloped 148 from 94 deliveries, supported by 66 from Freddie Fulton and Justin MacVicar with 54, as they hit an imposing 362 for 9.
Teenager Leo Selvey-Clinton hit a league career best of 86, Shaun Evans scored 52, and Varun Anand 39, before they were bowled out for 278. Cameron Wilshaw claimed 4 for 46 as the hosts enjoyed a comfortable win.
Defeats for two of the top three allowed Hayes the opportunity to move into second place, and they achieved that with a good win at home to Minster. The hosts chose to bat first and racked up 328 for 6. Finnan Bryan led the way with 119. Will MacVicar scored 50, Will Harby 46, Alex Blake 44, and Aaron Burrage added 32 as nine bowlers were used.
Openers Ed Moore and James Thompson put on 200 for the first wicket before the latter was dismissed for exactly 100. Moore followed for 95 but nobody else made it to twenty as Alfie Peck took 5 for 56. The innings closed at 273 for 8, 55 runs short of their target.
Having lost three in a row, Tunbridge Wells returned to winning ways at Lordswood despite being instructed to bowl first. Aftab Hassan scored 67, Linden Lockhart 35 and Hugh Scott 31, however, Matt Barker’s 4 for 47, and a late 3 for 19 by Chris Williams kept the total down to 194.
Williams then followed up with 118 not out from just 73 balls as the visitors cruised home by seven wickets with twenty-three and a half overs unused.
Finally, Bromley travelled to Sevenoaks Vine with a surprise name in their ranks. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Kent’s Tawanda Muyeye played his first ever Premier League game for them and smashed 103 from 68 balls. Ollie Streets scored 76, Sean Thompson 65, and Oliver Butterfill 56 not out as the visitors closed on 344 for 5.
Muyeye’s Kent team-mate Ben Compton scored 70, Harry Bevan-Thompson 67, Luke Schlemmer 49, and Henry Procter 32 as the hosts put up a good fist of their reply. However, Muyeye claimed 3 for 33 to support Marcus Lilley’s 3 for 65 as the Vine were dismissed for 309.
At the halfway point of the season, St Lawrence lead the table on 126 points, two ahead of Hayes, while Blackheath, Bexley, Tunbridge Wells and Bromley are just one win behind.
Meanwhile, Lordwood and Sevenoaks Vine are in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom having won just once each although Minster, with two wins, will be looking over their shoulders.
Images of Blackheath courtesy of Keith Gillard and pictures from Whitstable by Steve Griggs.