20 Years Man and Boy ... (part 1)

I've been supporting Kent County Cricket Club for 20 years.  That seems like a long time, and to match it, a ridiculously long post reminiscing about that time.


I first went to watch Kent in the summer of 1990, although I basically just read my book and didn't really watch the match at all.  We were either playing Hampshire or Surrey.  But in 1991, we went to watch the West Indies vs Kent at the St Lawrence, and I watched intently the whole time to see the undisputed best team in the world.  The Windies batting line-up that day was: Simmons, Haynes, Lara, Logie, Richards, Hooper, Dujon ... I don't recall the rest.  Simmons made about 70 odd, Haynes and Lara were out cheaply (my dad told me that the latter was just starting his career; I don't recall anything at all about him).  The diminutive Gus Logie at four made an impact, with a few sparkling shots square of the wicket in a  half-century.  Richards made about 20 or 30 (which was about par at that stage of his career), I think Hooper went to about 60 hitting about twenty off an over at one point, and Dujon made a few as well.  I suppose they finished the day about 260 - 5 or so, and I don't recall any of the bowlers at all (my dad told me a few years later that Kent employed a string of useless West Indian fast bowlers around the time).  I was hooked though.


The next season, 1992, Kent finished second in the championship and lost in the B and H cup final, the 55 over competition.  We attended the B and H cup quarter final match (might have been my mum's birthday, I think she and my sister made a lasagne for the men's dinner which we ate when we got home).  Kent vs Derbyshire, which was a low scoring sort of encounter.  Carl Hooper was now Kent's overseas player, but he was bowled (or lbw, the mind plays tricks, and I'm not researching any of this) by Ian Bishop, then pretty much accepted as the fastest bowler in the world.  Hooper made everything else look extraordinarily easy, so being done for pace seemed extraordinary.  I didn't see Kent's semi-final win, but went to the final with the old man.  It rained, and we left early in the afternoon.  Hampshire, Kent's opponent, batted well, with Smith (then still one of the best batsman in the world) making a destructive 90 with support from Terry and Gower.  We didn't return for the Sunday, as Kent displayed what would become a familiar trait for the next ten years: choking.  To be fair, Kent were never really close in their run-chase, if I remember correctly. 


A spectacular Martin McCague bowling display vs Hampshire was another highlight of 1992; the big paceman took 8 for not many against Hampshire, also taking a catch and being involved in a run-out if I remember correctly.


The following year saw Kent challenge for the Sunday League, only to lose a title decider on the last day of the season to champions Glamorgan (par the course, Kent failed to make enough runs, although had IVA Richards not been reprieved from a Duncan Spencer no-ball, the outcome may have been different).  Kent were an exceptional Sunday League side in these years, with Ward and Fleming early versions of pinch-hitters, Hooper seemingly scoring runs at will, and a long tail featuring Mark Ealham batting at 9. 


Kent were reasonably close to winning the Sunday League in 1994 as well, although even if they'd won at the Oval on the last day, they wouldn't have claimed the title.  They didn't win of course, they choked despite Hooper and Ward putting them in contention.  They also managed to throw away a winning position in the NatWest semi final at Edgbaston, when after a Neil Taylor hundred had put them in a good position to chase a demanding total, the middle order failed to give the sublime Hooper the strike, he holed out on 44, and the tail collapsed.  In 1995, however, they did win the Sunday League; of course Kent lost their last home match against Warwickshire, but rain meant Worcestershire were unable to overhaul us, and for once we had actually won a trophy.  Kent made up for this lapse by finishing bottom of the county championship, and losing the B and H cup final, despite a remarkably good knock from Aravinda De Silva, our overseas player.  De Silva also made two spectacular double hundreds, and shared in massive partnerships with Graham Cowdrey and Mark Ealham.


I don't recall much about 1996, which I think featured a minor challenge for the championship and a mid-table finish in the Sunday League, although this might have been the year that Dean Headley and Martin McCague kept taking hat-tricks.  This was also the year of Matt Walker's spectacular 275 against Somerset at Canterbury.  1997 was the real year to remember though, as Kent managed to finish second in no fewer than three competitions.  The B and H Cup Final was thrown away by poor batting by the top order, which could only be partially salvaged by the remarkable tail, and then blown away by young Ben Hollioake, batting with extraordinary freedom.  The Sunday League was thrown away in the last game, where Kent lost away at Yorkshire, and the championship slipped away as Kent drew too many games, including one with scores level against Somerset.  The championship side that year was probably something like: Fulton, Walker, Ward, Wells, Cowdrey, Ealham, Fleming, Marsh, Strang, Headley, McCague.  The one day team had Fleming opening and Llong in the middle order.  Ben Phillips and dashing young opener Ed Smith were around as well.


In 1998, the overseas player was Hooper for another year, Kent were pretty rubbish all round I think, although Hooper absolutely destroyed Strang, then playing for Nottinghamshire, during one Championship run-chase.  Rob Key made his debut this year I think, and Dr Julian Thompson was our main pace bowling weapon, as Headley began to suffer more and more from the injuries that would end his career too early.  1999 was pretty similar I think, with Andrew Symonds in as overseas player.  I don't remember much from '99, a decent low scoring championship scramble against Warwickshire at Tunbridge Wells and maybe a one-day win over Leicestershire.


2000 saw the introduction of the two tier championship system, and Kent narrowly avoided being relegated at the first hurdle.  They also narrowly escaped relegation from the Sunday League.  Rahul Dravid spent his only year at the club as overseas player, and was simply awesome; The Wall he may be in test cricket, but Dravid didn't simply occupy the crease, he also destroyed bowling attacks, including a wonderful hundred against Glenn McGrath's Worcestershire in the Sunday League, of the games I saw.  It was a good job Dravid was in such fine fettle all year, because none of the other batsman got close to serious runs all year.  In terms of bowling, new arrival from Durham Martin Saggers was the pick of the bowlers.


2001 saw Kent eventually win another trophy, with the capture of the Division 1 Sunday League title.  Daryl Cullinan started the season as overseas player, but after an early injury, he was replaced by Symonds, who was terrific all season in the one day tournaments, and made an impact in the championship.  It was the other batsman who really stood up to be counted though, with Key, Smith, Walker and especially David Fulton, who was sensational this year, and started the trend for the next few years of one batsman being utterly dominant.  Fulton was very unlucky to not be selected for England this year.  Kent's Sunday League win featured some memorable wins: a closely fought scrap with Gloucestershire was notable for a lot of aggro and sledging between the sides, and Ian Harvey skying a catch out to deep square leg when his power hitting looked to be taking Gloucestershire to the win.  A tense win in a day-night match with Surrey was enlivened by Matt Fleming's three run outs in four balls, all via direct hit from the backward point and gully region.  Kent won the League Title with a win over Warwickshire in which Symonds took five cheap wickets.


So that was ten thrilling years summed up in the blink of an eye! Part 2 when I can be bothered...