On Friday, my annual trip to Canterbury to see Kent CCC was made, as usual, during the cricket festival week.
As I wrote last year, it became something of a tradition that I would enjoy a day with my father, Michael, during ‘Canterbury’ week.
Although it is now six years sine he passed away (during festival week, the day after one of his favourites, Geraint Jones, scored 178) I have tried to maintain my visit, only missing out on the year when it was moved to the end of August and I could not get the time off work..
To make it a long weekend, I took the Friday off work chancing the possibility that there would be sufficient cricket left in the third day of the match to make a full day of it. When following the first day’s play of the game with Worcestershire on the internet, their first innings struggle gave me some doubt, but it turned out to be a needless concern.
Travelling to Canterbury from Bexley by public transport is not easy and I chose to take the route of 69 bus to Bromley North and the first off peak train from Bromley South to Canterbury East. As is so often the case, I gave myself far too much time so bought the week’s Cricket Paper and settled down in the large chain pub over the road with a bacon roll and unlimited coffee.
Eventually, I caught the train and was joined by Mark, a fellow Welling United supporter, at St Mary Cray.
Unfortunately, we did not arrive until after 11:30 and missed the fireworks provided by Mitchell Claydon and Will Gidman with the bat. After signing the visitor’s book in the CAMRA tent and ordering a pint of Ramsgate Brewery, Dependence Day (what a gorgeous pint) we settled down only to see the completion of the innings.
Kent had a healthy 240 run first innings lead and knew that the bowlers would have to work hard to prise out Worcestershire for a second time as it was suggested that pitch had settled down since the first day.
Neither Daryl Mitchell nor George Rhodes looked in any trouble and saw out the morning session in relative ease.
As I normally like to do, I had a stroll out onto the field to see if I could make any sense out of the pitch (I couldn’t) and to watch Hugh Bernard being given a bowling workout.
I then returned to the bar to find the superb Kent Session Pale had been introduced. I ordered a pint and took it back to my seat to enjoy with my sandwiches. Also during the lunch break, the popular Claydon was presented with his county cap by captain Sam Northeast.
After the interval, Worcestershire’s openers continued to enjoy the pitch until Will Gidman followed his batting heroics with the breakthrough, smashing Rhodes’ stumps for a career best 55 with the score on 94.
Eleven runs later and Mitchell was removed, missing a straight one from Gidman, and being the first player of the match to be given out LBW.
Two new batsmen gave the Kent fielders a boost but neither looked in exceptional trouble until gifting Kent a wicket in the last over before tea. Tom Fell pushed into the offside and ran. Alex Blake swooped and arrowed in a throw and Sam Billings whipped off the bails with Joe Clarke out of his ground. Whether Clarke was not expecting to be called for a quick single so close to tea, or whether it was pure stupidity to try and take on Blake’s arm, I don’t know, but I celebrated with a pint of Ramsgate Brewery Gadds’ No. 3.
During the tea interval, I went over to see the wreaths by the Lime Tree and had a moment of remembrance of those who gave their lives in conflict, and also a moment of thought for my father.
Returning to the tent, Tony from Medway CAMRA, and Andy from my local micropub, The Broken Drum, were enjoying the ales on offer and discussing Kent’s fortunes.
Claydon’s first wicket as a capped player came when he demolished Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s stumps for 17.
Fell’s vigil finished when he missed an ugly slog off James Tredwell and was adjudged LBW. Judging by Kent’s appeals, it was a pretty easy decision to make although we could not be certain from our vantage point.
Owen Cox joined Ross Whiteley who was still struggling to get off the mark. He finally got away when Joe Denly started a new spell with a filthy half tracker that was given the treatment being smashed into the offside for four. Meanwhile Cox mixed defence with attack, putting Tredwell away for a six and a four off consecutive balls.
Denly and Tredwell got through their overs at such a rate that there looked a possibility of getting a couple of extra ones in. It was absorbing stuff and the Worcestershire batsmen did all they could to avoid having to face more deliveries than necessary. Excessive ‘gardening’, extended midwicket chats, and a needless 12th man visit with a towel delayed things to an extent but Kent still completed the day’s allocation early enough for one more over.
Although, he could have taken the new ball, Northeast elected to allow Tredwell to continue, and with his first delivery he bowled Whiteley neck and crop to the sound of a huge roar from the CAMRA tent.
Walking back to Canterbury East, we felt pretty buoyant and popped into the Prince of Ales for a celebratory ale. I am already looking forward to next year!