After day one of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match between Kent and Gloucestershire, opening bowler Matt Quinn shared his thoughts.
He said: “I feel we’re probably ahead of the game at the moment. Obviously, a lot of work to do tomorrow with the bat but I think that if at the start of the day you’d said 229 all out and one down at the close, we’d be happy, so yeah, good day.”
After losing an early wicket, Gloucestershire dug in and Kent’s bowlers had to be disciplined. Quinn continued: “That first session we picked up one or two. I thought we bowled well, beat the edge a lot and I think we reaped the awards in that second session, picking up some poles.”
“I think we all bowled well together, people taking wickets, people bowled maidens and keeping the run rate down. Having five seamers as well, and being able to work in a partnership, was quite good.”
Talking about the pitch, he said “It was a little bit slow at the start but it definitely felt like it sped up a bit as the game went on which normally happens at the top end of the square. Every over there was always one ball in which you felt that something could happen.”
On the subject of opening bowling partner Matt Milnes, Quinn said: “He’s been unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure to bowl alongside him. He just makes stuff happen and for me, at the other end, I feel that I can just lock it down and I know that Milnesy’s just going to pick up a few poles.”
“He’s on forty-nine wickets this season. Hopefully, he goes on to get fifty in the second innings. He’s had a phenomenal season and I’m so pleased to have him back at Kent.”
Zak Crawley departed early, but Ben Compton and Sam Northeast played out the last twenty-two overs before the close. “I’ve been dreaming of this from the start of the season.” said Quinn.
“Northeast, when he got four hundred, he batted probably two and a half days, and we all know of what Ben Compton can do so I’ve been dreaming all year that those two can get in and build a partnership and, hopefully, tomorrow they can bat as long as they possibly can.”
Although he bowled superbly, Quinn only took one wicket. He was not upset about that, though, and explained: “As a group, you can’t judge yourself on just one performance. As long as someone is taking those wickets, I think you’re happy.”
“My job today, bowling up the slope, was just trying to keep dry. When you’ve got guys like Milnsey and DJ at the other end who are very attacking, it just allowed me at the other end me to be like I’m going to go for no runs and build pressure.”
“On a different day I might have got a couple more wickets. As a group. I think that’s one thing that we’ve been very good about this year, celebrating each others success but also acknowledging other people.”
“Grant (Stewart)’s bowled a lot of overs this season for no runs, but hasn’t picked up wickets. That’s part of being a bowling group. Everyone has their day throughout the summer. Sometimes it’s not your day but as long as you are contributing to the team overall, that’s what you want to be doing.”
Later in the day, Gloucestershire’s captain. James Bracey, threatened to take the game away from Kent. Quinn said: “He’s had a really good summer. He’s probably their best batter, he showed that today but like I said, there’s good balls but if you do miss with the outfield being as quick as it is, I think the ball can fly so I think that’s why we’re so pleased with how we kept the run rate down throughout their innings.”
“If you get bowlers into their fourth or fifth spells, they start to get a bit tired and miss their lengths and the ball can fly to the boundary pretty quickly. Hopefully, Compo and Northeast can do their thing in the morning and then we can build an innings from there.”