Adam Riley was happy to pick up career-best T20 figures of 4-22 as Kent Spitfires beat Gloucestershire by 21 runs at Canterbury on Friday night.

The off-spinner took four key wickets to break through the Gloucestershire middle-order, dismissing captain Michael Klinger, Alex Gidman, Ian Cockbain and Hamish Marshall, picking up a wicket in each of his four overs.

Kent restricted the visitors to 111-9 from their 20 overs, having won the toss and posted a score of 136-7, with Adam Blake also celebrating a career-best performance with his top-scoring, 30-ball knock of 41.

Riley, 22, who has been in excellent form with the ball in Championship cricket in 2014, taking 17 wickets in five four-day matches, felt a good team performance helped the side to pick up their second win in their first two NatWest T20 Blast matches of the season.

“It was a good victory in the end”, the Sidcup-born spinner said after the game.

“At the halfway stage we thought we would be there or thereabouts with the score we got, but to put that bowling performance together – and in the field as well – was pleasing.”

“The nature of the wicket meant that we knew that if we hit the right lengths when we bowled, even in the powerplay, it would be hard to score.

“136 on that wicket was probably worth a few more on a better wicket, so it was one of those where we knew it would be tight, because it’s not a big score. In the end, it was actually quite a comfortable victory. From a long way out, we felt we were in control of that game.”

Riley also admitted his satisfaction with his own performance; his 4-22 replacing 2-15 as his best T20 bowling figures.

“It’s always pleasing to get wickets”, he said. “I’ve never got more than a two-for in any kind of one-day game, so it was nice.

“Any wickets I take are a bonus. In T20 it can happen when sides are chasing a game and they have to try to take on the spinner and you get a few caught on the boundary and stuff, so it’s pleasing.”

The youngster also said that he was trying to keep things simple as he looked to build on his successful start to the season.

“That’s all I’m trying to do – take wickets”, he admitted.

“There’s no real hidden agenda about it – in every game I play I’m just looking to do the best I can for Kent and do whatever job is required of me. If I pick up some wickets along the way, and help Kent win, then so be it, and that’s really the plan as it is at the moment.”

 

Picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com