Match Report
All to play for: Kent travels to London to maintain their challenge across all divisions.
Kent A kept the pressure on their rivals by delivering an emphatic 33:11 victory. This ensures the A team’s top place with two matches remaining. The match started in an unusual manner as slow starters Kent A put on the burners to deliver a first set 8:3 margin. The A team then continued to march forward in convincing style with further set wins of 9:2, 8:3, and 8:3 to emphasise their dominance on the day. Adam Bassoo, Sean Kirby delivered 4/4 results, and Ash Hind seemed to have brought his wand with him, as his 4/4 included some mesmerizing shots to win his frames. The team looked out for Mitch Standen, who lost his Nan this week, and celebrated her life with her favorite tipple, Tia Maria, and coke at the end of the match. The team will be thinking of Mitch and his family in the coming weeks.
The Kent B team overcame a slow start where they lost the first set 7-4 to move into the lead by frame 19 when Andy Twigger took the frame, and the team never looked back. Charley McDowell sealed the win on the way to a 25:19 win. That win sets the B team up to challenge again for the title with two games remaining. Two home game wins would clinch the title. Jake Lloyd continued to impress in his first season in the men’s game with 4/4 alongside Ben Morgan, who was spotted practicing at Jordans on the Friday evening. That’s what the team manager likes to see leading into county matches.
The Kent C team had a disappointing day, losing their match 25:19! It looked oh so different at the start of the match when they bolted out of the traps to take a 5:1 lead, but unfortunately, by the end of the set, that lead had gone as they went 6:5 behind. To be fair to the C team, they had a number of replacements enforced by absentees, which doesn’t help in establishing a consistent team. An issue the team manager will be looking at as it causes unnecessary stresses to a number of people on the day of the match.
At the start of the day, the Under 23s, led by Jasper, had another convincing win, 16:4, which cements their status at the top of the league. Jasper Simmonds and Makhan Notay both winning 4/4. The team is again looking solid throughout and will get another chance at national glory, I feel, next year.
Our Juniors did what they do best, and our National and Regional champions marched on with another emphatic victory with 4 players getting maximum 4/4. Captain Gannon, Chase East, Callum Britt, and Finlay O’Shaughnessy leading the way with more than able backup in the team.
Disappointingly, the Seniors delivered a very weak and poor effort against their London rivals, going down 22:14. Only Barbara Taylor 4/4 and Marc Brazier 3/4 came out with any kind of performance, and the seniors’ team knows that they need to be better to get anything out of the season after what had been a great start to the season.
Finally, our Ladies found themselves in a bit of an unusual position after the first 15 frames as they were 11:4 down. However, normal service was resumed by frame 29 when they went 15:14 up with a Jo Miles win before charging forward to deliver a 29:15 victory, losing only 2 frames from the final 22!!! Incredible resilience. Barbara Taylor, adding to her seniors’ haul, ended the day 8/8. Well done, and Jan Spinner 4/4 leading the way in an eventual dominant performance.
Also congratulations to Ladies’ captain Jools on earning her next county medal for 1100 frames.
So going forward, we have two home games left this season for our teams to decide their fates. Surrey is next, followed by Berkshire on the 8th October and 5th November, respectively.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support. Let’s finish off the business end of the season in style. Get back to those Nationals!
All the best, Wilbo.
Final Scores
| u23s | 4:16 WIN |
| Seniors | 22:14 LOSS |
| Juniors | 9:27 WIN |
| Ladies | 15:29 WIN |
| A | 11:33 WIN |
| B | 15:29 WIN |
| C | 25:19 LOSS |