Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Kent teams have played top-class cricket since the early 18th century, and the club has always held first-class status. The current Kent County Cricket Club was formed on 6 December 1870 following the merger of two representative teams. Kent have competed in the

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

since the official start of the competition in 1890 and have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. The club's limited overs team is called the Kent Spitfires after the

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

. The county has won the County Championship seven times, including one shared victory. Four wins came in the period between 1906 and 1913 with the other three coming during the 1970s when Kent also dominated one-day cricket cup competitions. A total of 13

one-day cricket Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket or white ball cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day. There are a number of formats, including List A cricket (8-hour games), Twenty ...

cup victories include eight between 1967 and 1978, with the last trophy won by the club coming in the

2022 Royal London One-Day Cup The 2022 Royal London One-Day Cup tournament was a limited overs cricket competition that formed part of the 2022 domestic cricket season in England and Wales. Matches were contested over 50 overs per side, having List A cricket status, with a ...

. The club plays most of its home matches at the

St Lawrence Ground The St Lawrence Ground is a cricket ground in Canterbury, Kent. It is the home ground of Kent County Cricket Club and since 2013 has been known as The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, due to commercial sponsorship. It is one of the oldest grounds ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, which hosts

Canterbury Cricket Week Canterbury Cricket Week is the oldest cricket festival week in England and involves a series of consecutive Kent home matches, traditionally held in the first week in August. It was founded in 1842, although a similar festival week was first hel ...

, the oldest cricket festival in England. It also plays some home matches at the

County Cricket Ground, Beckenham The County Ground, Beckenham is a cricket ground in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley. The ground is owned by Leander Sports and Leisure and is used as an outground by Kent County Cricket Club for First XI fixtures, as well as for othe ...

and the

Nevill Ground The Nevill Ground is a cricket ground at Royal Tunbridge Wells in the English county of Kent. It is owned by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and is used by Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club in the summer months and by Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club in ...

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...

which hosts

Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week is a festival of cricket during which Kent County Cricket Club play their home matches at Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club's Nevill Ground in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Games held during it are considered some of Kent's most ...

. Kent also field a women's team. Kent Women won the Women's County Championship a record eight times, most recently in 2019, and the Women's T20 title three times, most recently in 2016. It has traditionally played matches at the Polo Farm in Canterbury, but since 2016 has moved to be based mainly at Beckenham.

History

Cricket is generally believed to have originated out of children's bat and ball games in the areas of the

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...

and

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the eas ...

and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, and these counties and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

were the first centres of the game. Bowen RF (1965
Cricket in the 17th and 18th centuries
in ''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

''. (Available online at

CricInfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a d ...

. Retrieved 2022-04-04.) There are records of the sport being played in Kent during the 17th century,Ellis & Pennell, p. 7. although a match in 1705, probably at

Town Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a Norma ...

, is the first that is definitely recorded as taking place within the county.Moore, p. 18.

Early county teams to 1842

The first inter-county match took place between a Kent side and one from Surrey on

Dartford Brent Dartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. Historically, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452 and in 1555 thousands of spectat ...

in 1709, although three matches between Kent and

in 1728 are more likely to have been the first properly representative county matches.Moore, p. 18.Robertson D (2009
Kent v Surrey – read more about the 300 year rivalry
Kent County Cricket Club, 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2018-03-14. Teams under the patronage of landowners such as

Edwin Stead Edwin Stead (1701 – 28 August 1735) was a noted patron of English cricket, particularly of Kent county cricket teams, Kent teams in the 1720s. He usually captain (cricket), captained his teams but nothing is known about his ability as a playe ...

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

and

Lord John Sackville Lord John Philip Sackville (22 June 1713 – 3 December 1765) was the second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He was a keen cricketer who was closely connected with the sport in Kent. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth ...

, who established the

Sevenoaks Vine The Vine Cricket Ground, also known as Sevenoaks Vine, is one of the oldest cricket venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks in Kent in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745–1799) and owner of nearby Knole H ...

ground on his

Knole Park Knole Park is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Sevenoaks in Kent. About 43 acres of the park belongs to the National Trust, as does Knole House, which sits within it. The remaining parkland is privately owned by the Knole Est ...

estate, increasingly became more representative of Kent as a county,Moore, pp. 18–19. and in 1744 a Kent team organised by Sackville played England at the

Artillery Ground The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is an open space originally set aside for archery and later known also as a cricket venue. Today it is used for military exercises, cricket, rugby and football matches. It belongs to the Honourable Artillery Co ...

, a match which was commemorated in a poem by James Love. Under the patronage of Sackville's son,

John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, KG (25 March 174519 July 1799) was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. His mother was the former Lady Frances Leveson-Gower. He succeede ...

, and

Sir Horatio Mann Sir Horatio (Horace) Mann, 2nd Baronet (2 February 1744 – 2 April 1814) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. He is remembered as a member of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire and a patron of Kent cricket ...

, Kent continued to field strong teams throughout the last quarter of the 18th century, and were, along with Surrey, the main challengers to the

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

teams organised primarily by the

Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England. Foundation The origin of the club, based near Hambledon in rural Hampshire, ...

.Collins S (2006
A brief history of Kent

, 2006-03-06. Retrieved 2016-02-14. The first inter-county match now considered to have first-class status was played between Kent and Surrey in 1773, and in 1787 a failed attempt to form a Kent County Club, with Dorset and Mann involved, was made at

Coxheath Coxheath is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately south of Maidstone. It is mainly centred along Heath Road which links the villages of Yalding and Boughton Monchelsea to the west ...

. Inter-county matches declined towards the end of the 18th century, possibly as a result of a lack of investment during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

,19th Century Cricket

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

. Retrieved 2018-03-24. although Kent teams continued to play matches. The resumption of matches between county sides in 1825, when Kent met Sussex at Brighton's Royal New Ground, saw matches organised by clubs in different parts of the county. A second attempt to form a County Club was made during the 1830s at Town Malling, backed by lawyers Thomas Selby and Silas Norton, alongside

George Harris, 3rd Baron Harris George Francis Robert Harris, 3rd Baron Harris (14 August 1810 – 23 November 1872), was a British peer, Liberal politician and colonial administrator. He served as the Governor of Trinidad from 1846 to 1854 and Governor of Madras from 1854 t ...

.Birley, pp. 79–81. Selby and Norton recruited

Fuller Pilch Fuller Pilch (17 March 1804 – 1 May 1870) was an English first-class cricketer, active from 1820 to 1854. He was a right-handed batsman who bowled at a slow pace with a roundarm action. Pilch played in a total of 229 first-class matches for a ...

from

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, considered the best batsman in England, to play at Town Malling and maintain the

cricket ground Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by strikin ...

. Pilch played in Kent teams alongside players such as

Alfred Mynn Alfred Mynn (19 January 1807 – 1 November 1861) was an English first-class cricketer during the game's "Roundarm Era". He was a genuine all-rounder, being both an attacking right-handed batsman and a formidable right arm fast bowler. Cricket w ...

Nicholas Felix Nicholas Wanostrocht (5 October 1804 – 3 September 1876), known as Nicholas Felix, was an English amateur "gentleman" cricketer. He was one of the few players who – at his request – was routinely known by his pseudonym, Felix. When his fa ...

Ned Wenman Edward Gower "Ned" Wenman (18 August 1803 – 28 December 1879) was an English first-class cricketer whose career spanned the 1825 to 1854 seasons. A specialist wicket-keeper, he was a prominent member of the great Kent team of the 1840s which a ...

and

William Hillyer William Richard Hillyer (5 March 1813 – 8 January 1861), was a prominent 19th century English professional cricketer for Kent County Cricket Club, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and many other sides in the days before county and international ...

which dominated English cricket, winning 98 matches during the period, and the team is considered to have been the leading county side for six seasons out of the seven between 1837 and 1843. The expense of running county games meant that Town Malling proved too small to support a county club, and the club was wound up in 1841, Pilch moving to the Beverley club at

The first county clubs: 1842–1870

The Beverley Cricket Club was formed in 1835 at the Canterbury estate of brothers John and

William de Chair Baker William de Chair Baker (21 April 1823 – 20 February 1888) was an English cricketer and cricket administrator who played for and was involved with Kent County Cricket Club throughout his life. Baker played first-class cricket for Kent and for ...

, initially playing in the St Stephen's district of the city before moving to the

Beverley Ground The Beverley Ground was a cricket ground in Canterbury in Kent. It was in use in the mid-19th century, with recorded matches taking place between 1839 and 1846. It was the home ground of Beverley Cricket Club and was where the first Kent County ...

in 1839.Event locations - Beverley Meadow
,

Canterbury City Council Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of th ...

. Retrieved 2017-11-30.Jones KH (1934
An early relic of Kent Cricket
in ''Archaeologia Cantiana'', vol. 48, pp. 240–243. Retrieved 2017-12-01. After the failure of the Town Malling club, the Bakers stepped in to organise Kent teams, with Pilch managing the ground. The Beverley club became the Kent Cricket Club on 6 August 1842, when it reconstituted itself during its annual cricket festival. The club was the first formal incarnation of Kent County Cricket Club, and the 1842 cricket festival is considered the first

.Kent County Cricket Club Timeline
Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 2017-11-23.Robertson D (2009
Read about the origins of Canterbury Week
Kent County Cricket Club, 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2018-03-24. The new Kent club played its initial first-class match against an England side at

White Hart Field White Hart Field was a cricket ground in Bromley in south-east London. The ground, which was in the county of Kent until 1965, was on an area of open space and farm land which stretched from Bromley Palace to Widmore Green.

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

on 25–27 August 1842, and initially the success of the club continued, with Kent considered the leading county side in 1843, 1847 and 1849. The club moved to the

on the eastern side of Canterbury in 1847, with Pilch once again moving to manage the ground. This was later established as the county's formal headquarters, although Kent continued to play matches on a variety of grounds around the county until well into the 20th century, rarely using the St Lawrence Ground for more than two or three matches a year. As the team built around Pilch retired from cricket, the fortunes of the club declined, the county sometimes forced to field teams of up to 16 or to combine with other clubs in order to compete.Moseling & Quarrington, pp. 1–2. Financial difficulties followed and on 1 March 1859 a second county club was formed at

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

to support the Canterbury-based club. The two clubs, the Canterbury club known as East Kent, the Maidstone club as West Kent, co-operated to an extent, although the relationship was later described as "anything but satisfactory". Marsham G (1907
A short history of Kent cricket
''

''. Retrieved 2018-03-06. The standard of cricket played by the county side, generally organised by the West Kent club, remained poor and the county found it difficult to attract either the best amateur players or professionals to play, many amateurs only willing to appear during Canterbury Week.Kelson, Mr George Mortimer
Obituaries in 1920, ''

'', 1921. Retrieved 2018-02-27. An 1870 meeting chaired by the 3rd Lord Harris at the Bull Inn at

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

saw the two clubs merge to form the present day Kent County Cricket Club.

A single county club: 1870–1914

Initially the amalgamation of the clubs failed to improve performances on the pitch. The best amateurs still rarely appeared and Kent lacked a core of talented professionals to provide the team with a solid foundation. The 4th Lord Harris was elected to the General Committee in 1870 and became captain and secretary in 1875. He set about reforming the club with an "energetic administration", although performances improved only slowly at first and when the

was formerly established in 1890 Kent were initially able to finish only in mid table.Moseling & Quarrington, p. 2. Albert Chevallier Tayler - Kent Vs Lancashire 1906

Albert Chevallier Tayler - Kent Vs Lancashire 1906

The establishment of the

Tonbridge Nursery The Angel Ground was a sports ground at Tonbridge in the English county of Kent. It was used as a venue for first-class cricket by Kent County Cricket Club between 1869 and 1939 and then for association football by Tonbridge Angels F.C., until ...

in 1897 as a player development centre for young professionals was one of the key developments that lay the foundations for the successes of the pre-war period. The Nursery, which was run by Captain William McCanlis and set up and overseen by Tom Pawley who became the club's general manager in 1898, identified and provided organised coaching and match practise for young professionals for the first time. Players flourished and became the basis of the Kent team, gradually taking the place of the amateurs who had dominated the Kent teams of the 1870s and 80s.Moseling & Quarrington, pp. 2–3.Lewis, p. 33. By 1906 around 60% of all appearances were by professionals, with bowlers such as

Colin Blythe Colin Blythe (30 May 1879 – 8 November 1917), also known as Charlie Blythe, was an English professional cricketer who played Test cricket for the England cricket team during the early part of the 20th century. Blythe was a Wisden Cricketer of ...

and

Arthur Fielder Arthur Fielder (19 July 1877 – 30 August 1949) was an English professional cricketer who played as a fast bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team from 1900 to 1914. He played a major role in Kent's four County Champi ...

forming the core of the Kent attack.Moseling & Quarrington, p. 11. Professional batsmen such as

Punter Humphreys Edward Humphreys (24 August 1881 – 6 November 1949), known as Punter Humphreys, was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club between 1899 and 1920. He played nearly 400 first-class matche ...

and

James Seymour James Seymour (1702–1752) was an English painter, widely recognized for his equestrian art. Seymour was born in London. His father was an amateur artist and art dealer, whose other business dealings (as a banker, goldsmith, and diamond ...

and all-rounders such as

Frank Woolley Frank Edward Woolley (27 May 1887 – 18 October 1978) was an English professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1906 and 1938 and for the England cricket team. A genuine all-rounder, Woolley was a left-handed batsman ...

became an increasing part of Kent's success, coming together with a group of "gifted" amateurs to produce strong batting lineups.Moseling & Quarrington, p. 3. This Kent side was the first since the 1840s to enjoy a period of real success, winning the

four times in the years between 1906 and 1914. The first title, in 1906, came under the captaincy of Cloudesley Marsham and was won on the last day of the season. Sides captained by

Ted Dillon Edward Wentworth Dillon (15 February 1881 – 20 April 1941) was an English amateur sportsman in the early years of the 20th century. He played over 200 first-class cricket matches, mainly for Kent County Cricket Club between 1900 and 1913. Dill ...

won three further Championships in

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

, 1910 and 1913 and the Kent XI was strong throughout the pre-war period.Green D (1981) When a Blythe spirit brought four titles, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 1981-05-19, p. 18. Blythe was the team's leading bowler throughout the period, taking over 100 wickets each season between 1902 and 1914, including 17 in one day against

Northants Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is kn ...

in 1907.Colin Blythe
Obituary, ''

'', 1918. Retrieved 2018-04-06.

Consistency but no Championships: 1919–1939

Blythe was killed during the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

in 1917, although it is unlikely he would have returned to county cricket after the war was over. The Kent side, once the makeshift 1919 season had been played, continued to be consistently strong throughout the inter-war period, finishing in the top five of the County Championship table in all but one season between 1919 and 1934.Moore, Dudley (1974
Kent's triumphant revival
''

'', 1974. Retrieved 24 October 2018. Players such as Woolley, Wally Hardinge and

Les Ames Leslie Ethelbert George Ames (3 December 1905 – 27 February 1990) was a wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, ''Wisden'' described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of a ...

all played at the peak of their careers, whilst Blythe's bowling was replaced by

Tich Freeman Alfred Percy "Tich" Freeman (17 May 1888 – 28 January 1965) was an English first-class cricketer. A leg spin bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and England, he is the only man to take 300 wickets in an English season, and is the second most p ...

's. Freeman took 102 wickets for Kent in 1920 and then took at least 100 each season until 1936, taking 262 in 1933. He leads all Kent bowlers in wickets taken.Burrowes ''et. al.'', pp. 89–115. Kent scored 803 for 4 declared against

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

at Brentwood in 1934, with

Bill Ashdown William Henry Ashdown (27 December 1898 – 15 September 1979) was an English professional cricketer. He is one of a very few men who played first-class cricket before the First World War and after the Second World War. Ashdown was born in Brom ...

scoring 332, Ames 202

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...

and Woolley 172. The total took just seven hours, with 623 runs scored on the first day alone and remains, as of 2022, Kent's highest score in first-class cricket, Ashdown's 332 runs remaining the highest individual score made for Kent.Robertson D (2014
Essex v Kent at Brentwood in 1934
Kent County Cricket Club, 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2018-04-06.The 300 Club: Dickson and Ashdown (and Woolley and Cowdrey)
Kent Cricket Heritage Trust, 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2018-04-06.

Arthur Fagg Arthur Edward Fagg (18 June 1915 – 13 September 1977) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and the English cricket team. A right-handed opening batsman who first played for Kent at the age of 17, Fagg was a Test ...

scored a unique two double centuries in the same match for Kent against Essex at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

in 1938,A brief history of Castle Park

. Retrieved 2018-04-06. while Woolley scored over 1,000 runs for Kent in each season between 1920 and his retirement in 1938. In 1928 he made 2,894 runs for the county at a

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of 59.06. He retired in 1938 after making 764 appearances for the county side, with 47,868 runs, 122 centuries and 773 catches for Kent―all county records.

Post-war rebuilding and the Second Golden Age: 1946–1978

Gerry Chalk had captained the side in 1939 when they had, once again, finished in the top five of the Championship, but he was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the post-war period saw Kent struggle to compete consistently. After two promising seasons under Bryan Valentine in 1946 and 1947, the county only finished in the top nine teams twice between 1948 and 1963. The rebuilding of the side continued under David Clark's captaincy―Clark would later become chairman of the club.

Colin Cowdrey Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 19324 December 2000) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University (1952–1954), Kent County Cricket Club (1950–1976) and England (1954–1975). Univers ...

, the first man to play 100

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

, made his Kent debut in 1950 and was appointed captain in 1957, following

Doug Wright Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''. Early years Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...

who was the first professional to captain the side. Wright took over 2,000 wickets with his brisk

leg break Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the ...

s and googlies between 1932 and 1957 and became the only player to take seven

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

s – six of them taken for Kent.Doug Wright
Obituary, ''

'', 1999. Retrieved 2018-10-24. An improvement in performances began in the mid-1960s under the captaincy of Cowdrey and the management of former wicket-keeper

. A seventh placed finish in 1964 was followed by fifth-place in 1965 and fourth-place in 1966 before the county finished as runners-up in 1967, winning the Gillette Cup in the same season. Another second-place finish in 1968 followed before the county won their first Championship since 1913 in 1970. Ten trophies were won during the 1970s, including a second Championship title 1978 and a shared title in 1977. The Sunday League was won in 1972, 1973 and 1976, the

Benson & Hedges Cup The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals. It was the third major one-day competition established in Englan ...

in 1973, 1976 and 1978 and the Gillette Cup again in 1974 – six of the trophies between 1972 and 1976 under the captaincy of

Mike Denness Michael Henry Denness (1 December 1940 – 19 April 2013) was a Scottish cricketer who played for England, Scotland, Kent and Essex. Scotland did not have a representative international team at the time of Denness' career, so he could only play ...

who had succeeded Cowdrey in 1972.Pennell M (2013
Gracious captain; Kent legend

, 2013-04-20. Retrieved 2016-02-28.

Recent history

After no trophies during the 1980s, Kent won the

1995 Axa Equity & Law League The 1995 AXA Equity & Law League was the twenty-seventh competing of English cricket's Sunday League. The competition was won for the fourth time by Kent County Cricket Club. Standings Batting averages Bowling averages See also * Sunday ...

and the 2001 Norwich Union League. In August 2007, the side won the

Twenty20 Cup The T20 Blast, currently named the Vitality Blast for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket competition for English and Welsh first-class counties. The competition was established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (E ...

for the first time, defeating

in the semi-finals, with captain

Rob Key Robert William Trevor Key (born 12 May 1979) is an English former cricketer and cricket commentator who played international cricket in all formats for England and domestic cricket for Kent County Cricket Club. He is the current Managing Direct ...

scoring 68 not out.Berry S (2007
Kent take the spoils after McLaren's hat-trick
''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'', 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2016-11-17.Twenty20 Cup finals day – Twenty20 Cup semi-final, Edgbaston
BBC Sport, 2007-08-26. Retrieved 2016-11-17. In the final they defeated

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

in a see-saw game where in the final over, chasing 148, they required 13 runs, winning with three balls to spare. Matthew Walker top scored for Kent in the final with 45 runs while

Darren Stevens Darren Ian Stevens (born 30 April 1976) is an English cricketer. An all-rounder, he bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium-pace. In first-class cricket, he has scored over 16,000 runs and since the age of 35 has taken over 500 wickets an ...

scored 30 not out from 21 balls, including hitting the winning runs. Earlier in the final,

Ryan McLaren Ryan McLaren (born 9 February 1983) is a South African professional cricketer, who plays for all formats in international level. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. McClaren signed a contract with English County side ...

took a

.Twenty20 Cup finals day
BBC Sport, 2007-08-26. Retrieved 2016-11-17. In 2008, the county were relegated from to the Second Division of the County Championship for the first time. They won the Division in the 2009 season, but were relegated again at the end of the 2010 season and played in the division until 2018, with a best finish of second in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, failing to be promoted only due to a restructuring of the divisional system. In November 2016, Kent accepted an invitation from the

West Indies Cricket Board Cricket West Indies (CWI) is the governing body for cricket in the West Indies (a sporting confederation of over a dozen mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries and dependencies that once formed the British West Indies). It was originally ...

to compete in the

2016–17 Regional Super50 The 2016–17 Regional Super50 was the 43rd edition of the Regional Super50, the domestic limited-overs cricket competition for the countries of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The tournament was held in Antigua and Barbuda. Ten teams pa ...

domestic

List A List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...

tournament in January and February 2017.Kent to play in West Indies Super50 as part of FGS Plant Tour
Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2016-11-16.

, 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2016-11-17.Wilson A (2016
One-Day Cup takes centre stage

England and Wales Cricket Board The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the Sports governing body, national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on 1 January 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test and ...

, 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2016-11-27. This was the first time that any English county side had competed in an overseas domestic competition.'Matt Walker's Kent embark on a winter Caribbean odyssey', ''

The Cricketer ''The Cricketer'' is a monthly English cricket magazine providing writing and photography from international, county and club cricket. The magazine was founded in 1921 by Sir Pelham Warner, an ex-England captain turned cricket writer. Warner e ...

'', February 2017.
Available online
) The invitation was partly due to the influence of former

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

captain

Jimmy Adams James Clive Adams OD (born 9 January 1968) is a former Jamaican cricketer, who represented the West Indies as player and captain during his career. He was a left-handed batsman, left-arm orthodox spin bowler and fielder, especially in th ...

who had, until September 2016, been Kent's Head Coach and was followed by an invitation to take part in the competition again in 2018.Kent, Hampshire invited for WI Regional Super50

, 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2018-01-30. Kent were promoted to Division 1 at the end of the 2018 season, having finished second in Division 2 and retained their place in the top division in 2019. In 2021 the team won their first trophy for 14 years, beating

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

in the T20 Blast final.

Grounds

Kent's main ground is the

. This ground has been used by the club since 1847 and Kent have played over 500 first-class matches at the ground. It is famous for having a tree, the St Lawrence Lime, on the playing field. The original tree, around which the ground was built, was broken in two by high winds in January 2005 and replaced by a smaller replacement Tilia, lime tree later in the same year.St Lawrence Ground

. Retrieved 2016-01-09.End of innings for cricket tree
BBC News website, 2005-01-10. Retrieved 2016-02-09.Cricket club reveal new lime tree
BBC News website, 2005-03-08. Retrieved 2016-02-09. The ground hosts the annual

, the oldest cricket festival in the world.Kent Cricket 2015 fixtures revealed
, Kent County Cricket Club, 2014-11-26. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
, ''Canterbury Times'', 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2016-02.09. This dates from 1842 and has been held at the ground since the club moved there.
, England and Wales Cricket Board, ECB, 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2016-02-09.London 2012: Kent chief executive not concerned at Olympic clash
BBC Sport website. 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2016-02-09. Kent played their first official match at

in August 1842 and since then have used 29 different grounds within the historic counties of England, historic county. Some of these grounds, although still in the historic county of Kent are now also within the Greater London area. Two outgrounds remain in regular use, the redeveloped

and the

. The latter ground hosts the

and has seen over 200 Kent home matches played on it.Nevill Ground

. Retrieved 2016-02-09.Kent coach Paul Farbrace hails Tunbridge Wells support
BBC Sport website, 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2016-02-09. Former venues include Mote Park (cricket ground), Mote Park in

, which was used until 2005 and has been the venue for over 200 Kent first-class matches,Kent end 140-year Maidstone deal
BBC Sport website, 2005-09-30. Retrieved 2016-02-09. as well as grounds in Bat and Ball Ground, Gravesend, Angel Ground, Tonbridge, Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover and Cheriton Road, Folkestone, all of which have had more than 100 home matches played on them. The county's main offices are based at the St Lawrence Ground. Indoor cricket schools are in place at both this ground and at Beckenham which acts as a centre of excellence for player development in the west of the county.Kent buoyed by Beckenham ground redevelopment approval
''Kent Online'', 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2016-02-03.

Players

Kent's most notable former players include

, the first man to play 100

, Derek Underwood and wicket-keepers

and Alan Knott. All five men played Test cricket for England cricket team, England, making at least 40 Test match appearances. They are the only players to have stands named after them at the

, Kent's home ground in

.Brenkley S (2015
Australia vs Kent day one match report: Shaun Marsh opens with century as Aussies underline their Ashes threat
''The Independent'', 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2016-03-01. A total of 30 Kent players have been named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year, most recently Zak Crawley and Darren Stevens in 2021 and Tammy Beaumont in 2019.Crawley & Stevens named Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Kent County Cricket Club, 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-15.Collins A (2019
Wisden 2019 Cricketer of the Year: Tammy Beaumont - England's record-breaking runscorer
''The Daily Telegraph'', 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2019-04-10.Ben Stokes: Wisden name England all-rounder leading cricketer in world again
BBC Sport, 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-15. Other particularly notable former players include spin bowlers

and

. Blythe was a major force in the four

wins in the years leading up to World War I and took 100 wickets in every season from 1902 to 1914.Colin Blythe - Profile

. Retrieved 2016-02-29. He played 17 Tests for England but was killed in action during World War I. A memorial at the St Lawrence Ground is dedicated to him. Freeman played during the period after World War I and took over 150 wickets in a season for Kent 14 times. He is the only bowler to take more than 300 wickets in an English season, a feat he achieved in 1928, and the only man to have taken all ten wickets in an innings three times.Tich Freeman - Profile

. Retrieved 2016-02-29. Fast bowler Graham Dilley represented England in 41 Test matches in the 1980s, whilst all-rounder Mark Ealham played in 64 one-day internationals in the 1990s and early 2000s. Other than Ames and Knott, Kent has produced a number of other top class wicket-keepers.Billings keen to match the Kent keeper kings
''Canterbury Times'', 2014-04-17. Retrieved 2016-03-01. Fred Huish, who never played for England, is considered as the "first of a line of exceptional Kent wicket-keepers"Obituary: Fred Huish
''

'' 1958. Retrieved 2016-02-17. which have included Godfrey Evans, who played 91 Tests for England,Foot D (1999
Godfrey Evans - Obituary
''The Guardian'', 1999-05-04. Retrieved 2016-03-01. Geraint Jones, with 34 Test and 49 ODI appearances, as well as Edward Tylecote, George Wood (cricketer, born 1893), George Wood and Hopper Levett all of whom were capped by the country.Ryder R (1972
The great wicket-keepers - from Tom Sueter to Alan Knott
''

''. Retrieved 2016-03-01. Paul Downton started his career at Kent as part of this line of players and the teams' current wicket-keeper, Sam Billings, has made one-day appearances for England. Overseas players who have made a significant contribution to Kent cricket include West Indies cricket team, West Indians John Shepherd (cricketer), John Shepherd, Eldine Baptiste, Bernard Julien and Carl Hooper and Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal (cricketer, born 1943), Asif Iqbal all of whom played multiple seasons for the county. South Africa national cricket team, South Africans Martin van Jaarsveld, Justin Kemp and Andrew Hall have done the same,Rabada to follow in footsteps of great South Africans at Kent
Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-02-28. Retrieved 2016-03-01. as has Australia national cricket team, Australian Andrew Symonds. Other great world cricketers to have played for the county for single seasons include Sri Lanka national cricket team, Sri Lankans Aravinda de Silva and Muttiah Muralitharan, India national cricket team, India's Rahul Dravid and Australia's former Test captain Steve Waugh.XI Kent's Overseas Cricketers, ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017'', p.227. Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club.

Kent cricket legends' walkway

As part of the redevelopment of Kent's home ground, the

, the county planned to develop a "legends' walkway" at the entrance to the ground.Kent cricket joins forces with KRNM for the Legends' Walkway
, Kent County Cricket Club, 2011-01-14. A public vote was held to select 12 former players of the club to honour in the walkway. The 12 players were named in June 2011. They included

, who played for the county in the 19th century,

and

from the first half of the 20th century, Godfrey Evans and

from the 1930s–50s era, and

, Alan Knott, Brian Luckhurst, John Shepherd (cricketer), John Shepherd and Derek Underwood from the teams of the 1960s and 70s.Kent cricket announce Legends' Walkway results
, Kent County Cricket Club, 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
''Canterbury Times'', 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2016-06-15. The first bricks were produced for the walkway in April 2012First Legends' Walkway bricks produced
Kent County Cricket Club, 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2016-06-15. although they were removed during development of the ground in 2017–18 and moved adjacent to the Nackington Road entrance.

Captains

Sam Billings Kent V Surrey 2015 at Kia Oval Cricket Ground (27190750944)

As of 2021 the current club captain of Kent is Sam Billings, who was appointed in January 2018, replacing Sam Northeast.Sam Billings: England limited-overs player replaces Sam Northeast as Kent captain
BBC Sport, 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-01-30. In total 33 men have been appointed as club captain, beginning with George Harris, 4th Baron Harris, Lord Harris in 1875.

captained the side for the longest span in the County Championship era, serving between 1957 and 1971.

led the county to the

title three times, the only man to captain Kent to more than one championship title.

' side of the early 1970s won six one-day titles in his five years as captain.

Current squad

Of the players in the current squad Sam Billings, Joe Denly and Zak Crawley have appeared in

and limited overs cricket for the England cricket team. Fred Klaassen has played ODI and T20 cricket for the Netherlands national cricket team, Netherlands and Grant Stewart (cricketer), Grant Stewart T20 Internationals for Italy national cricket team, Italy. * No. denotes the player's squad number, as worn on the back of their shirt. * denotes players with international caps. * denotes a player who has been awarded a Cricket cap#First-class cricket, county cap.

Coaching staff

Matthew Walker (English cricketer), Matt Walker is head coach of the side, having been appointed in January 2017 following former coach

' decision to return to the Caribbean. Walker played for Kent for 16 seasons and was previously batting coach at

.Matt Walker: Kent head coach signs two-year contract extension
BBC Sport, 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-31. The team's bowling coach is Simon Cook (English cricketer), Simon Cook, another past player. Cook was head coach of the Hong Kong cricket team between 2015 and 2019 before joining Kent.Hogwood C (2019
Kent appoint Simon Cook as specialist bowling coach
''Kent Online'', 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2019-09-16.Careem N (2019
Hong Kong cricket ‘can go no further’ without facilities, says outgoing coach Simon Cook as senior side aim for ODI boost
''South China Morning Post'', 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-09-16. Former Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate was appointed as the side's batting coach in December 2021.Ryan ten Doeschate: Kent name former Essex captain as new batting coach
BBC Sport, 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2021-12-20. The Head of Talent Pathway in charge of the development of young cricketers at the club is former Second XI coach and player Min Patel.Patel appointed Head of Talent Pathway
Kent County Cricket Club, 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2020-01-07. Patel works alongside Mark Dekker who had previously coached Kent Women.Hathrill appointed Kent Women Head Coach
Kent County Cricket Club, 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-01-07. Former player Mark Ealham is a part-time coach with the club, also spending time coaching at The King's School, Canterbury.Mark Ealham
Management Team, Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 2018-10-31.

Records

, who played for Kent between 1906 and 1938, holds the record for the most appearances, most career runs and most runs in a season for the county. He is the only man to score more than 100 centuries for Kent with 122 and is the county's fifth leading wicket taker.

holds the record for the highest score for the county with 332 runs against

in 1934. He is one of only two men to have scored a triple-century for Kent, with two to his name, the other being Sean Dickson (cricketer), Sean Dickson who scored 318 against

in Kent County Cricket Club in 2017, 2017.Milton H (2016) 'First-class records' in ''2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual'', Kent County Cricket Club, 2016, pp. 189–235.Dickson's 318 tops day of Kent records

, 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-07-04.

is the county's leading wicket taker with 3,340 wickets. Freeman took more than 150 wickets for the county 14 times and holds the record for the most wickets in a season. Fellow spin bowling, spin bowler

has the best bowling figures in Kent's history taking 10/30 against Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire in 1907, with 17/48 in the match. Freeman took ten wickets in a match 128 times with Blythe achieving the same feat 64 times. Along with Woolley and Freeman, Wally Hardinge,

and Derek Underwood are the only men with more than 500 first-class appearances for Kent.

Kent Women

The Kent Women cricket team plays in the London Championship and Women's Twenty20 Cup. The first recorded match by a Kent Women's team was in May 1935,Other matches played by Kent Women
, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-05-24. with the team first appearing in the Women's Area Championship in 1980.
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-05-24. The side features a number of international players and is captained by England women's cricket team, England international Tammy Beaumont. They won the County Championship a record eight times during its existence, including the final tournament in 2019, and have won the Women's Twenty20 Cup three times, most recently in 2016. The team play the majority of their home matches at the

. The Women's team is sponsored by Canterbury Christ Church University.

Gentlemen of Kent

The Gentlemen of Kent side, generally made up of Amateur status in first-class cricket, amateur "gentlemen" cricketers from the county, played 48 first-class matches between 1830 and 1880. These matches were played almost exclusively against Marylebone Cricket Club, MCC and Gentlemen of England sides and an annual first-class fixture took place during the

between 1842 and 1866.Moore, pp. 29–30. The Gentlemen would also regularly play a one-day match against I Zingari, an amateur wandering side, during the Week and other matches were played on occasion, including against the Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868, touring Australian aboriginal side in 1868.Miscellaneous matches played by the Gentlemen of Kent
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-08-04. Sides named the Gentlemen of Kent had played cricket matches during the 18th century. The earliest known featuring a side using the name was a 1734 match against a Gentlemen of Sussex side at

. The side was closely associated with the county side and had strong links to other amateur sides, including I Zingari and Band of Brothers, both of which would host tents during Canterbury Week, as well as to Old Stagers, an amateur drama group which performed during Canterbury Week.Rice, p. 19, p. 24.

Kent Cricket Academy

Kent established an academy in 2003 with the aim of developing future first-class cricketers. The academy is based at the

and makes use of the Ames-Levett Sports Centre at the ground.Kent County Council to support Cricket Academy

, 2003-02-19. Retrieved 2016-06-01. It has produced over 25 first-term players for the county, including current club captain Sam Northeast and senior England internationals Tammy Beaumont, Sam Billings, Joe Denly, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway and Jo Watts.Kent coach Simon Willis appointed Sri Lanka high performance manager
, ''Kent News'', 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2016-06-01. The leading academy scholar is awarded the John Aitken Gray trophy each year. Past winners have included county First XI players Daniel Bell-Drummond, Alex Blake (cricketer), Alex BlakePyman T (2015
Trio honoured in Kent Cricket Academy Awards
, ''Kent News'', 2015-09-02. Retrieved 2016-06-01. and Ollie Robinson (cricketer, born 1998), Ollie Robinson.Trio win Academy awards
Kent County Cricket Club 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2018-02-03. The academy was established by former wicket-keeper Simon Willis (cricketer), Simon Willis.Simon Willis appointed Director of the newly formed Kent Cricket Academy

, 2003-01-15. Retrieved 2016-06-01. Paul Farbrace and Philip Relf held lead coaching roles within the scheme until Willis was appointed as high performance director in 2011, serving in the role until May 2016 when he was appointed the high performance manager of Sri Lanka Cricket.Willis gets top Kent job
BBC sport, 2003-11-19. Retrieved 2016-06-01.''Kent academy post for Relf'',

, 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2016-06-01.Simon Willis named SL high performance manager

, 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-06-01.Departing Kent coach Simon Willis praised after Sri Lanka nod
''Canterbury Times'', 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2016-06-01. Former Kent and England spin bowler Min Patel took over the running of the academy on an interim basis following Willis' departure before becoming Second XI coach in January 2017, with former Shropshire County Cricket Club, Shropshire wicket-keeper Jason Weaver (cricketer), Jason Weaver taking over the role as high performance director, the two jobs replacing Willis' former role.Second XI coach and high performance director appointed
Kent County Cricket Club, 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2017-01-25. When Weaver left the club in 2019, Patel took over the role, becoming the club's Head of Talent Pathway and working alongside former women's coach Mark Dekker.

Honours

Kent have won the

seven times, including one shared title. Four of their wins came in the years before World War I between Kent County Cricket Club in 1906, 1906 and 1913,

captaining the side to three of their titles. The county had to wait until the 1970s to win their other Championship titles, winning outright in 1970 and 1978 and sharing the title with Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middlesex in 1977. Kent have finished as runner-up in the Championship on 12 occasions, most recently in 2004. The County Championship Second Division title was won by the county in 2009.Reid J (ed) (2016) ''2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual'', Kent County Cricket Club, p. 3. The county First XI has also won a number of limited overs competition trophies. Eight trophies were won between 1967 and 1978, six times by teams led by

. Three more trophies have followed in 1995, 2001 and 2007 and, most recently, the team won the 2021 T20 Blast. Kent finished runners-up in the 2008 Twenty20 Cup, 2008 T20 competition, the 2008 Friends Provident Trophy and the 2018 Royal London One-Day Cup. The Second XI Championship title has been won nine times by the county, including one shared win in 1987. As of 2019 this represents a record number of victories in the competition. Four of the victories have occurred in the 21st century, with the most recent in 2012. The Second XI Trophy one-day competition was won in 2002 and 2019 and the county won the Minor Counties Championship twice in the 1950s when first-class Second XI's entered the competition. Kent Women cricket team, Kent's women have won the Women's County Championship a record eight times, most recently in 2019, and have been runners-up five times since the competition was established in 1997. The women's side has also won the Twenty20 Championship three times, in 2011, 2013 and 2016.

First XI honours

(6) – Kent County Cricket Club in 1906, 1906,

, 1910, 1913, 1970, 1978; shared (1) – 1977
Runners-up (12): 1988, 1908, 1911, 1919, 1928, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1988, 1992, 1997, 2004
County Championship Division Two (1) – Kent County Cricket Club in 2009, 2009
Runners-up (2):

, Kent County Cricket Club in 2018, 2018 *County Championship Division Three (1) – Kent County Cricket Club in 2021, 2021 * Royal London One-Day Cup, One-Day Cup (3) – 1967, 1974, Kent County Cricket Club in 2022, 2022
Runners-up (5): 1971, 1983, 1984, Kent County Cricket Club in 2008, 2008, Kent County Cricket Club in 2018, 2018 * Pro40, National League (5) – 1972, 1973, 1976, 1995, 2001
Runners-up (4): 1970, 1979, 1993, 1997 *

(3) – 1973, 1976, 1978
Runners-up (5): 1977, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1997 *

(2) – Kent County Cricket Club in 2007, 2007, Kent County Cricket Club in 2021, 2021
Runners-up (1): Kent County Cricket Club in 2008, 2008

Second XI honours

* Minor Counties Championship (2) – 1951, 1956 * Second XI Championship (8) – 1961, 1969, 1970, 1976, 2002, Kent County Cricket Club in 2005, 2005, 2006, Kent County Cricket Club in 2012, 2012; shared (1) – 1987 * Second XI Trophy (2) – 2002, Kent County Cricket Club in 2019, 2019

Women's honours

* Women's County Championship winners (8) – 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019
Runners-up (5) – 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2015 * Women's County Twenty20 Championship winners (3) – 2011, 2013, 2016

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) (1985) ''A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles, 1709–1863'' (second edition). Nottingham: ACS.
Available online
Retrieved 2022-04-04.) *Derek Birley, Birley D (1999) ''A Social History of English Cricket''. London: Aurum Press. *Burrowes P, Knight L, Oakes S, Barnard D, Francis P, Carlaw D, Milton H (eds) (2021) ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2021''. Canterbury: Kent County Cricket Club. *Carlaw D (2020) ''Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914'' (revised edition).
Available online
at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.) *Ellis C, Pennell M (2010) ''Trophies and Tribulations''. London: Greenwich Publishing. . *Hignell A (2002) ''Rain Stops Play: Cricketing Climates''. London: Abingdon. *Simon Hughes (cricketer), Hughes S (2009) ''And God Created Cricket''. London: Transworld Publishers. *Lewis P (2013) ''For Kent and Country''. Brighton: Reveille Press. . *Timothy J. McCann, McCann TJ, ed (2004) ''Sussex cricket in the Eighteenth Century''. Lewes: Sussex Record Society.
Available online
at the University of Michigan library. Retrieved 2022-04-04.) *Milton H (1992) ''Cricket Grounds of Kent''. Nottingham: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
Available online
Retrieved 2022-04-04.) *Milton H (2020) ''Kent County Cricket Grounds''. Worthing: Pitch Publishing. *Moore D (1988) ''The History of Kent County Cricket Club''. London: Christopher Helm. *Moseling M, Quarrington T (2013) ''A Half-Forgotten Triumph: The story of Kent's County Championship title of 1913''. Cheltenham: SportsBooks. . * Rice J (2019) ''Stories of Cricket’s Finest Painting''. Worthing: Pitch Publishing. *David Underdown, Underdown D (2000) ''Start of Play: Cricket and Culture in Eighteenth Century England'' London: Allen Lane.

External links

Official Kent County Cricket Club WebsiteOfficial Website of Kent Cricket Community Team
{{English first-class cricket clubs Kent County Cricket Club, History of Kent Cricket in Kent 1842 establishments in England Cricket clubs established in 1842 English first-class cricket teams Sport in the London Borough of Bromley City of Canterbury Borough of Maidstone Sport in Royal Tunbridge Wells