WARING EXTERMLY LONG POST: DON’T START IF YOU CAN’T BE BOTHERED TO READ MUCH 
Well guys and girls it’s great to get the much-anticipated season underway at long last with the current Champions, South Australia being the visitors.
Season 4 – Day 1: What a day to get the season under way than under the clear and sunny sky over the famous St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. The scene was set and a packed house was arriving for what was going to be a huge match in more ways than one! Both sides wanted to get the season off to a running start and also gain a one up advantage going into the same fixture in the VB Cup next Wednesday. Oh and of course the managers have just a tad bit of pride to play for to save face when they next bump into each other
Both sides had played the transfer game and very different sides to last year were going to be taking to the field including a couple moving between the sides as well.
D.Lehmann and G.Blewett walked to the middle for the first toss of the season and unfortunately for the home side the coin fell the way of the visitors. D.Lehmann had no hesitations to bat under the perfect batting conditions and hoped to get a massive score on the board to defend latter in the day.
As the home side took to the field the atmosphere was electric around the ground and the Kent lads were all geared up for the first over and what a start the lads made!
First over, first ball of the day and the ever-reliable M.Saggers stormed in and got a vicious late swinging yorker right up on off stump and the helpless N.Adam could only dig down on it and as a result got a outside edge that flew to the diving wicket-keeper M.Trescothick.
A perfect start but would this reflect the rest of the day…
Unfortunately the wicket bought the star batsman who had caused much hurt over the years to the crease, D.Lehmann.
Kent’s day just got better and better as former wicket keeper A. Flower departed in the 6th over of the day as M.Saggers trapped him plum right in front for his and the teams second wicket of the day.
Kent were well aware that they now faced a battle as the two stars of last season for South Australia were together and determined to hang around. R.Stratton showed his intent right from the off as he blasted his first ball for four through the covers and past a helpless B.Allen.
Things just got better for the Kent lads as the prized wicket fell in the 10th over, new recruit J.Dawes from Hampshire via the draft trapped the big man in front of the timbers.
In the very next over of J.Dawes he was at it again with his impeccable line and length as he trapped yet another helpless victim right in front, this time it was the very promising young rookie E.Moon for just one.
Just 11.2 overs into the game and Kent were in complete control of the game as the visitors were in all sorts of trouble as they clawed their way to 4/49.
The visitors knew they couldn’t afford to lose any more wickets and the style of the play reflected this as R.Stratton and L.French both went about accumulating runs and taking the singles were possible.
Kent tried in vain to get the big breakthrough that would undoubtfully hurt South Australia and start to expose a tail that was never really called upon last season. While Kent captain G.Blewett chopped and changed the bowlers around he knew deep down that the major damaged had been done and at least the score was always going to gettable, which the South Australians just happy with taking the singles for now.
As play reached the last 10 overs it was quite clear now that the pair had built the platform required to attack from and they duly did so. The poor Kent faithful were diving for cover as a bombardment of fours and sixes came their way. G.Blewett saw the ideal opportunity to get the wickets while balls were flying and bought back the strike bowler of M.Saggers to replace S.Katich who had been given one over as spin had played a good part of tying the batsman down.
In a combination of M.Saggers and G.Blewett the pair did the trick, as not only did wickets begin to fall again but cheaply as well. First to go was R.Stratton who was yet another on trapped in front of the stumps for an outstanding 91 (126). R.Stratton was thoroughly deserving of a hundred for the work he did in recovering the South Australian innings from catastrophe.
G.Blewett was in his zone and the very next ball he claimed his second wicket of the day as he dismissed a former Kent favourite M.Banes with his first ball, with a big bit of thanks to Kent supreme B.Allen who plucked the ball out of thin air at backward point.
Exactly one over later and M.Saggers finished as he started the day with a wicket in his last over. This time it was L.French to make the long walk back to the pavilion as he fell for a superb 84 (101), M.Trescothick looking ultra safe again with his 3rd catch of the day behind the stumps.
The innings concluded in the next couple of overs as the bowlers S.Bond and S.Brant added some valuable runs late on.
South Australia concluded their innings on 255/7 – A stunning effort considering they were in all sorts of trouble at 4/49 and the main batsman back in the hut. For Kent they were bitterly disappointed not to finish the South Australian bating line up off when they had the chance, but all credit to R.Stratton and L.French for the way in which they batted.
For Kent it was an all-round team performance with the ball, the wickets were spread around among the bowlers, and those that didn’t take any wickets kept their bowling sufficiently tight.
M.Saggers: 3/40 (10)
J.Dawes: 2/44 (9)
G.Blewett: 2/58 (10)
In reply to South Australia’s first innings total of 255, Kent needed 256 to win in their 50 overs at just over a fraction over 5 an over.
Kent’s opening batsman’s B.Allen and M.Jenkins set about the job in hand but disaster struck when in just the 2nd over, as B.Allen departed attempting to heave the ball over the mid wicket boundary into the car park. Unfortunately although the idea was great… the execution was a little to be desired as it creped past the bat and rearranged the stumps to have Allen on his way for just five.
Kent then for some reason didn’t fancy the slow and steady approach more the fast and the furious as M.Jenkins and A.Muzumdar went mental and rattled along at almost 7 a over. I was having no problem with this but it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before the wickets fell, and they did as just a ball short of the 11th over M.Jenkins become another of the LBW victims as he fell for 28 (27) with the score on quite a incredible 69/2 from 10.5 overs.
S.Katich came and struggled immensely compared to the fireworks before hand as he crawled to 12 (31) and H.Axelby finally put him out of his miserly as yes you guess it, he was out LBW.
The old and the young combined brilliantly as A.Muzumdar and B.Thakkar continued to score at over 5 an over for the next 8 overs as the pair added a fine partnership of 38 and were looking good to re-create what Stratton and French had done earlier in the day, but as had happened before in the Kent innings the big shot came out of the bag and A.Muzumdar showed none of his experience as he charged down the pitch to the rookie spinner and proceeded to swing at fresh air and A.Flower had all the time in the world to have a cup of coffee and take the bails off. Although it was a disappointing end for A.Muzumdar he contributed 66 of the most valuable runs to keep Kent somewhat in the game.
For those that say G.Blewett is a slow and technically correct batsman, you obviously wasn’t at Canterbury this weekend, in quite abnormal fashion G.Blewett decided that he had no option but to blast his side home, although they were up with the rate after the earlier efforts. Nevertheless G.Blewett put the kitchen skin behind every ball he faced and to be fair for most bat he was looking good and the 23 runs he added at basically a run a ball were nothing to complain about, however his method of dismissal was H.Axelby bowling a perfect spell pitched one up and G.Blewett was padded up to a straight ball and as so common the dreaded finger was raised and he was on his way, LBW for 23.
Kent looked in trouble but any team with M.Trescothick coming in at seven shouldn’t be too worried about scoring 80 runs at under 5 an over.
M.Trescothick’s keeping earlier in the day was top stuff and unfortunately his usual batting standard deserted him as he fell in the very next over with just his 3rd ball, falling (surprise) LBW to the young spinner L.Bradley who was looking a class act today.
Kent now went from possible winners to looking defeat right in the mouth as the tail was exposed, Kent’s tail are no real mugs with the bat but they aren’t the sort you want to see batting in the 35th over needing 70 odd to win.
The afternoon just kept getting worse for the Kent faithful as the solid backbone of the innings that had scored relatively freely and also scoring the runs without much attention being shown his way.
With Q.Aylott now leading the tail you felt the end was near but credit to the Kent lads although deep down they knew it was coming the heads never dropped and the tail showed guts and determination to at least make South Australia work for their wickets.
So obviously M.Saggers fell first ball getting run out trying to get Q.Aylott on strike. (Had you going with that last paragraph didn’t I).
T.Hawkins not regarded for his batting pedigree and he didn’t disappoint today either falling for just 2 off 4 balls, well caught by N.Adam in the covers.
