Kent Spitfires have named a playing squad of 16 for the upcoming Royal London Cup, beginning with the visit of Durham to The County Ground, Beckenham on Thursday 22 July.
Their ranks have been bolstered ex-Sussex batter Harry Finch, former Kent Academy scholar Joe Gordon, and current Scotland international George Munsey.
Harry Finch impressed for the Second XI before signing up to play in the COVID-affected LV= Insurance County Championship fixture against Sussex. The right-hander scored a match-saving 115 in the fourth innings as Kent salvaged a draw with a team that featured six debutants.
Current Scotland international George Munsey featured in the final two Vitality Blast fixtures, helping the Spitfires qualify for a home Quarter Final. The left-hander has played in 27 ODIs, most famously being part of the Scotland team that defeated England at the Grange in 2018. Munsey hit 55 off 51 balls as Scotland secured a six-run victory.
His current List A high-score of 96 came against Oman for Scotland in 2019, and he has most recently scored 79* against Fred Klaassen’s Netherlands in May of this year.
Joe Gordon has been featuring for the Second XI regularly this year; his high-score in white ball cricket coming against Essex in the Second Eleven Twenty20, as he hit 53 off just 27 balls.
Jack Leaning will captain the Spitfires over the course of the Royal London Cup this year, with homegrown ‘keeper-batter Ollie Robinson confirmed as vice-captain.
With Head Coach Matt Walker taking up a role as Assistant Coach for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, Simon Cook will take over as interim Head Coach for this tournament.
Kent’s Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, said: “With a number of Kent players having earned the opportunity to play in The Hundred, this gives a great opportunity for some of our younger players and some new faces to impress wearing a Kent Spitfires shirt.
“This will be an exciting tournament that every county will feel that they have a chance of doing well in. We are really looking forward to playing our Royal London Cup games at Beckenham, a ground that has hosted some fantastic white-ball matches over the years.”
Kent Spitfires’ Royal London Cup squad in full:
- Jack Leaning (Captain)
- Ollie Robinson (Vice-Captain)
- Harry Finch
- Nathan Gilchrist
- Joe Gordon
- Heino Kuhn
- James Logan
- Matt Milnes
- George Munsey
- Tawanda Muyeye
- Marcus O’Riordan
- Harry Podmore
- Hamid Qadri
- Matt Quinn
- Darren Stevens
- Grant Stewart