Kent vice-captain Geraint Jones has told KSN about how the team go into Canterbury Cricket Week confident of success.
After exiting the YB40 competition in contentious circumstances last week, Kent next turn their attentions back to the longer form of the game, with Gloucestershire the visitors, starting on Wednesday, before their final one-day game of the season against Nottinghamshire on Bank Holiday Monday (August 26).
“I always look forward to Cricket Week. It’s a great week, and a great part of the year”, said wicket-keeper Jones.
“We had a good win against Gloucestershire last time when we played them at Cheltenham, so we’ve got some confidence against them. Hopefully we’ll have some good weather and a good wicket to go the full four days and people will come and watch.”
Jones also admitted the team’s frustrations with the way they had been eliminated from the YB40 competition, as the must-win game against Warwickshire was abandoned after a power failure led to one of the floodlights not working.
“It’s very disappointing, but it’s one of those things you don’t have any control over. In rain games with Duckworth / Lewis, you can sort of see it coming and you know where you are, but when something just goes ‘pop’ like that, it is disappointing.
“For us, considering we needed to be out there and winning as well, it’s a bit of a bitter way to finish this campaign.
“Both teams have got to agree. We were willing to play, but I don’t think they were. They’re well out of this competition, so they weren’t that keen to get out there for fear of injury, which you can understand. As soon as that happens, it’s game off.”
Kent spinner Adam Riley also said that he hoped to continue the tradition of Canterbury Cricket Week.
“It’s always a good week down here – you always get a decent crowd for the four-day game [against Gloucestershire] as well as the one-day game, so hopefully it will be well attended again. It’s the 162nd Canterbury Cricket Week, so it’s got a good tradition and obviously we’ll carry that on this week.”
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