Spirited display in Showcase match
July 31, 2022SUFFOLK put up a spirited display as they lost to Kent Spitfires by 140 runs in Sunday’s Showcase match at Woolpit CC.
Centuries from Ben Compton and Ollie Robinson saw the visitors rack up 431 for 7 in their 50 overs.
Although they were never going to chase such a large target, Suffolk rallied to reply with 291 for 5, based around an opening partnership of 134 between Darren Batch and Jack Beaumont.
A crowd of just over 1,000 spectators watched the match – the first time a first-class county have visited Suffolk since Glamorgan played at Bury St Edmunds in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in 2005.
After winning the toss, the visitors showed their class as Ben Compton and Ollie Robinson added 218 for the second wicket in just over 25 overs.
Robinson was particularly severe on the bowlers, scoring 139 off just 80 deliveries with 14 fours and seven sixes.
Compton, who was making his white-ball debut for the Spitfires, was more circumspect and his 133 occupied 119 balls and contained 17 fours and two sixes.
After Tom Rash removed both Robinson and opposing skipper Alex Blake in consecutive deliveries, Darren Stevens (34 off 21) and South African all-rounder George Linde (56 off 30) pushed the total way beyond Suffolk’s reach.
The National Counties side, who lost Alex Oxley to Covid on the eve of the match and Andy Northcote with a dislocated shoulder when diving while fielding towards the end of the Kent innings, were undaunted.
Darren Batch and Jack Beaumont compiled an opening partnership of 134 in 25 overs, before Beaumont was caught in the deep after scoring 64 off 76 balls including ten fours.
Batch’s excellent innings of 72 from 95 balls with 11 fours was ended when he skied a drive (pictured above) off spinner Hamid Qadri, but Josh Cantrell and Ben Parker continued to take push the score along.
After Cantrell was out with the total on 213 for 5 in the 42nd over, Darren Ironside and Tom Rash thrashed 78 runs off the remaining eight overs.
Ironside (53 off 42 deliveries with five fours and a six) and his Mildenhall team-mate Rash (24 off 25) lifted Suffolk to a respectable 291 for 5.
Tags: Darren Batch, Kent Spitfires, Showcase match, Woolpit CC
Categorised in: Suffolk CCC