Kentish grounds and grounds of Kent *

posted by John Winn

Living in the east of East Sussex for many years gave me relatively easy access to grounds played on by Kent County Cricket Club. One of the things I looked forward to most each year was a day at Maidstone's Mote Park during its cricket week, usually the first week of July. Occupying 558 acres of Parkland to the east of the county town the Mote Estate provided a home for championship cricket until 2005 when Gloucestershire were the last visitors.

My first visit was in 1990 when Lancashire came to 'The Mote'; a Lancashire team including a youngish Mike Atherton who made a hundred and a pace attack of Wasim Akram, De Freitas and Allott. I was present on the first day, a Saturday when the last two Kent wickets put on 111 and Lancashire lost Fowler and Fitton by the close to leave honours even. Sunday the first of July saw 40 over cricket take the field and an unbeaten 100 for Graham Lloyd was the main feature of Lancashire's innings. Their 259 for 3 proved too strong for Kent with Richard Ellison top scoring  for the hosts.

 These 'wrap around' weekends were the norm in those days and when the sides resumed on Monday Atherton's hundred and 98 for Trevor Jesty provided a platform from which Lancashire went on to win by three wickets. 1990 was not a great year for Kent and skipper Chris Cowdrey resigned in mid season to be replaced by Mark Benson. One ground I was not fortunate enough to visit was Hesketh Park, Dartford which saw its last first class game in that 1990 season. Leicestershire were the visitors on August 8th and all twenty of their wickets were taken by their two spinners on a pitch which was reported to the TCB but who imposed no penalty. For whatever reason that match brought an end to county cricket in the town and ended 34 years of first class cricket at Hesketh Park, the third and probably last ground to be used by Kent CCC first XI in Dartford.

Maidstone week continued until 2005, but it seemed to me that there was always the feeling that each year might be its last. I continued to visit the ground for a number of years and on two occasions Carl Hooper provided top entertainment. In 1994 his 183 against Yorkshire included ten sixes and two years later I 'enjoyed' his innings against Durham when he hit 105 off 87 balls with another five sixes. All good things do have a habit of coming to an end and when Gloucestershire were skittled for 96 in their second innings in 2005 the by now ECB deducted 8 points from the 18 Kent's win had given them. Disappointingly Robert Key was not playing in the match so presumably he felt unqualified to offer his opinion on the pitch panel.

Kent last played championship cricket at Cheriton Road Folkestone in 1991 although their match with Cambridge University in 1995 did have first class status. Essex were coincidentally the visitors on my solitary visit in 1986. Late summer bank holiday traffic made it slow going along the A259 through some of the cinque port towns and when I arrived Essex  had lost early wickets to Underwood but Gooch stood firm and assisted by Fletcher and Pringle they reached 252 for 9 at stumps. Kent were bowled out on the third day by John Childs who took 7 for 55, leaving Essex victors by 23 runs. In addition to Underwood and Childs other fine bowlers playing in the match were Dilley and Alderman for Kent and Lever for Essex. At a rough count there were 14 test players in the two sides. Rich fare indeed.

Finally I should refer to the one Kent out ground that still hosts championship cricket, the Nevill ground at Tunbridge Wells. My first visit here was in 1990 to see, despite declarations and a forfeited innings, rain ruin a match with Yorkshire. I attended on the third day when I saw fewer than 12 overs bowled, two of those by Mark Benson, and the most memorable feature of the day was that Ashley  Metcalfe was dismissed twice in under three quarters of an hour, which included the ten minutes  between innings. In his first innings he was ct Davis b Benson 0, one of only five wickets taken by Benson in his career. Shortly afterwards Yorkshire declared and there was just time before the rain for scorers Foley and Potter to record AA Metcalfe c Marsh b de Villiers 14. Not one for the scrap book Ashley.
* Kentish men ( and maids) live east of the River Medway and men (and maids) of Kent to the west. Not sure if it applies to cricket grounds but why not?