Kent County Cricket Club : Media Release
Kent County Cricket Club : Media Release
The people of Kent CCC would like to thank everyone for their huge continued support and today is the next step towards world domination, sorry WCC Success.
Last season left all involved in the club with mixed feeling, on the downside we were compressively relegated from Division 1 of the One Day game, however on the up side the Four Day side did us proud and piped Surrey to the title in the last match of the season. (Here's hopping
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Over the past two seasons our manager Rich2001 has be keen to develop the Four Day outfit to the strongest possible and having now got us into the top flight we as a club have decided it was about time we invested some of that Four Day talent into the One Day arena.
Rich2001 has been a busy manager trying to bring into the club the players needed to lead the charge in season 5. As a result I we have had to sacrifice some of our best players, but we have tried our best to replace them and if not improve the overall look of the side.
Today is a huge day for the club as we announce to all of our fans that will be retained and representing us next season.
A Muzumdar: One Day Bat Avg 48 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX
A Muzumdar is a solid all round batsman, who does a super job of holding the team together throughout the innings; he is quite content to keep the scoring ticking over in the One-day game and allow the batsman around him to blast away. A Muzumdar is a vital player to the Kent line up giving us super balance to both line-ups.
G.Blewett: One Day Bat Avg 33.64 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX
Blewy has lead the side with wonderful efficiency and enthusiasm even in his old age, the younger players have looked up to our captain as a role model and he has lead by example having a wonderful season not only with the bat but also having taken a combined 35 wickets in both forms (19 @ 21 OD s/r 22 & 15 @ 18 FD s/r 34)
Blewy was always going to be retained by us, although we did have doubts mid season when he came saying he was contemplating retirement, however thankfully he decided against that and we hope to give Blewy the farewell he deserves next season and hopefully in return he will lead us to the titles.
L Dyer: One Day Bat Avg 6 / s/r 33 :: Four Day Bat Avg 1 / s/r 39
L Dyer, the new kid on the block… a highly talented rookie that has progressed through our own purpose built academy programme he has genuine pace and will frighten the batsman into giving their wickets away. He is a going to go far in WCC and will make a name for himself next season in both forms I am sure of that. Dyer takes over the mantle that M.Saggers has left behind and we have every faith that he can fill those shoes for us.
L French: One Day Bat Avg 44.4 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX
L French is a talented batsman in both forms of the game and will bolster our middle order. French has decided to leave the current champions SA after falling our with the current manager and when he saw Allen heading that way he saw the opportunity not only to make a name for himself but also a chance to start afresh with one of the best managers on the circuit, Rich2001 who is well renown for the ability to not only get the best out of his players but to be highly approachable.
French is another of the new bred of attacking players to take the game by storm, he has a S/R of 85 and up to the last match of the season he was averaging 77 before a low score in the final couple of games saw it drop to a still impressive 55
M.Jenkins: One Day Bat Avg 50.24 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX
M.Jenkins, has had a quiet season at the top of the order for us, but his huge talent is there for all to see. Next season he will have the added responsibility with Allen missing from the line up however Jenkins was rumoured by many to be leaving the club but we are keen to give him another shot and again he is another of those duel batsman who are fantastic in both forms.
Jenks is also a star in the One-Day game with his S/R of a Gillchrist like 98.76, he sets up the innings for us more often than not with a electric start.
O Hemp: One Day Bat Avg 52.08 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX
O Hemp is another new signing this time from the Warwickshire camp; he has had a slightly disappointing season by his standards and is another one who has the enthusiasm to want to impress and do well in the coming years to cement his place in the England fold.
O Hemp will be spearheading the One-Day attack for us in the absence of Allen. Hemp is a exciting youngster who will have extra energy and abilities in the field especially in the One-Day game. Hemp also another quick scoring stroke maker and hopefully with all that power in the middle order the limited over scores will rocket up overall. Don’t be deceived into thinking Hemp is a One-Day specialist he has a average well in excess of 40 in the longer game and quite frankly any team seeing him walking to the middle @ number 7 will be either worried or hoping for a declaration.
Q Aylott: One Day Bat Avg 18 / s/r 35.6 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX / s/r XX
Mr Aylott has been a disappointment this season and has struggled to get going, but we have seen some sparkerling spells of bowling to know we have a talent just to good to throw away here, he might have had a substandard season in our eyes but he is still one of the better players in the game and he is still very young an raw and has plenty of time to enhance those skills, speaking to Aylott he has ensured the fans he will be back next season and with his new “legal” mystery ball he hopes to leave the batsman in a spin (I am sorry he made us say that!).
Aylott also will have a more relaxed season next year as he will become the Kent 5th bowler, yes I know it’s quite incredible a guy with those stats is only a 5th bowler but it’s true, we hope that being within such a talented group of pros that it will enable him to just relax and start bowling to his potential again and show the world just the bowler he can be when we signed him.
R Olney: One Day Bat Avg 17.8 / s/r 35 :: Four Day Bat Avg 37 / s/r 41
Olney has the potential to be one of the world’s greatest All Rounder’s and he will hone his skills with the best, as he will learn from R.Stratton. Onley if he could boost his OD batting up by about 10 he really would be World Class, but that will come with time and he has plenty to learn first. Onley slots into the batting line up at 8 in Four-Day meaning Kent will have very very little in the terms of a tail that can only be good.
Onley is another express pace-man and will fit in nicely with the hard bouncy wickets at Canterbury, probley coming on as 1st change. He will certainly be one to watch next season if he goes anything like he has at the academy.
R.Stratton: One Day Bat Avg 44.84 / s/r 37.96 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX / s/r XX
R.Stratton is a huge signing probley one of the only players in WCC that could possibly replace Allen in our team and he has done just that. Many have stood up and taken notice at the huge move but we felt it was time to release the sentimental value that Allen blinded us with and his performances just haven’t been upto par for the last couple of seasons now. Stratton along with French who came in and the various other batsman will certainly cover the massive hole left by Allen, Stratton nearly does the job alone and on top of that he has one of the best S/R’s in the Four-Day game and 37 although it has slipped of late is certainly a fine S/R for the One-Day game for a 2nd change.
R.Stratton has promised us huge things next season and he means business, he has already been on the phone from SA setting up training sessions and fitness work in our gym, and by all accounts he can’t wait to meet the lads and all of the wonderful Kent fans.
S Manjrekar: One Day Bat Avg 25 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX
S Manjrekar is one of the leading Wicket-Keepers left in the game with a Four-Day average in the low 40’s he has been a perfectly able replacement to A Flower who lead us behind the stumps for two seasons.
S Manjrekar has been a super guy in the field, motivates the lads well and never gives up until it’s well and truly gone. He probley through no fault of his own not had the best opportunities this season, coming in at 7 in the order he has often been left with the tail and as a result we are expecting a slight fall in his avg, but regardless he still remains one of the best Four-Day keepers on the market and we are overjoyed he has decided to stick around. S Manjrekar is only 23 years old and has plenty of time and opportunity to fulfil his dream of becoming a world-class keeper.
Last and by no means least the rookie sensation you have all been waiting for…..
T.Hawkins: One Day Bat Avg 5.24 / s/r 35 :: Four Day Bat Avg XX / s/r XX
T.Hawkins had huge expectations and has really been a let down this season, I say let down that but he has still taken 24 wickets @ 21 in the longer game, although coming off a season where he bagged 60+ he was certainly meant to contribute a bit more than he has.
T.Hawkins though had such marvellous stats anyway that even with this season behind him he will still have a S/R around the 40 mark come season 5 and will now become the primary spinner in a seam attack with Ayllot offering help when needed.