Kent CEO Jamie Clifford admitted that he felt for the club’s fans after rain continued to interrupt their match against Worcestershire at Tunbridge Wells.

Having managed a full day’s play on the opening day, just 53 minutes, and 14.1 overs, were possible on the second, with no play before lunch on the third, today.

It follows an unwelcome trend for the Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival Week, which has found itself regularly affected by the weather in recent years.

Speaking to KSN on a rainy morning on the third day at The Nevill Ground, Clifford admitted his frustration at the situation.

“We’re disappointed for the supporters; particularly those in the west of the county”, he said.

“It’s always a grand occasion when Kent go on the road, and we’re very disappointed for people that they won’t see much cricket.”

“It’s very damp, and hot on the heels of a wet one last year, and the year before, and I think the year before that, so I think four rain-affected Tunbridge Wells weeks”, he continued.

“Interestingly, before that, it was a venue that we used to come to and enjoy some pretty spectacular hot, early summer weather, but it doesn’t seem to have gone for us in recent years”, he said.

Even with the weather causing issues, this game with Worcestershire is Kent’s only home fixture to be played away from Canterbury this season. It was a decision that Clifford felt was necessary given the current situation, where Tunbridge Wells Borough Council were unable to provide as much funding as they have in previous years.

“We’d taken a tough decision in saying that we weren’t going to have a one-day game here”, he explained.

“The Borough Council have historically been very supportive, and they continue to manage the ground to a high standard. We’re keen to come here, but without a temporary stand, which they’ve funded in the past, it just made it quite difficult for us to justify putting a one-day game on.

“Without that stand, it’s not safe to mount a game when you expect to have a big crowd. It was a tough decision, but a decision we felt we had to take.

“Having said all of that, it’s a venue that we like – we love coming to Tunbridge Wells – we’re very well supported here, and if we can find a way to underpin those costs, then I’m very keen that we do, and there are some interesting conversations going on at the moment on that basis.”

The club are continuing to work on the redevelopment of Beckenham, which would provide an alternative outground for them in the coming years.

“As a county, we’re big believers in moving the game around the county”, Clifford said.

“This year is a bit of an anomaly really in that we’ve only got four days away from Canterbury, but ideally we’d like to be moving cricket around the county.

“Beckenham, clearly, is a venue where we’ve taken control of that situation and are looking to develop there. It’s slightly harder in Tunbridge Wells’ case, and then The Mote [Maidstone] and Folkestone; grounds we’ve played on historically because those are entities that are run by the club, or in Tunbridge Wells’ case with council support.

“We are very keen to carry on taking cricket around the county – we just have to find a way to make it work financially and safety-wise.”

 

Picture  of The Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells, supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com