As they gear up for the return of their Members and supporters, Kent Cricket have announced that the deadline for receipt of electronic ballot forms has now been extended until 17:00 on Wednesday 5 May.

The move comes as the Club continues to manage a large number of enquiries around seating allocations, membership benefits and COVID medical protocols.

To deal with the need to allocate seats and support the NHS’ Track & Trace System, the Club has invested in a new membership and ticketing system.

All Members must provide a valid e-mail address and obtain a new Invicta number, that will enable Members to apply for matchday entry. Entry without pre-booking matchday tickets through the Club’s new ticketing system will not be permitted.

Members are also asked to register their interest for each match they wish to attend, using an online form that has been e-mailed to all Members. On matchday, Members will be required to scan their Member’s Ballot tickets using the new scan technology.

All Members must have a valid matchday ticket as well as their Membership card for entry.

Membership packs including new Membership cards will be sent out ahead of our LV= Insurance County Championship home match against Glamorgan.

Members without a valid e-mail address on record with the Club have been contacted by post and are required to provide a personal e-mail address or a contact e-mail address of a representative (family member, friend etc.) that can act on their behalf.

Kent Cricket’s Chief Executive, Simon Storey, said: “As excitement builds amongst our Members and supporters around the potential return of live spectators to Kent home matches, we are seeing high interest for registering for tickets across all of our Ticket Priority groups.

“We are also receiving a high number of calls and e-mails from Members keen to gain more information about the ballot process and seating arrangements.

“Our administrative team is working incredibly hard to respond to every phone call and e-mail, and additional staff members are helping to deal with this demand.

“Everyone at the Club is focused on ensuring that as many people as possible have an opportunity to watch live cricket this summer as soon as it considered safe to do so.

“A number of callers have expressed concern that, as the deadline approached, they might miss out or have to apply without having all their questions answered. We have therefore taken the decision to extend our Members’ Ticket Ballot to reassure our Members and supporters and give everyone time to have their questions answered.

“We must stress that this ballot was not operating on a first come, first serve basis, so the extra 48 hours simply gives both our Members and our administrative team the time to answer any questions and help us ensure that everyone has the best opportunity to apply for tickets.

“As things stand, we remain optimistic that everyone that registers for the ballot will get an opportunity to watch some live cricket this Summer. However, with demand being so high, we are also reminding Members to only apply for matches on days they can attend.

“The new system will show who is in the ground and also those that pre-book tickets and do not attend. Every empty seat means someone else misses out on cricket and also costs the Club money. We would ask Members who are successful in the ballot to advise the Club at least 48 hours before play if they are unable to attend a match.”