insideKENT Magazine Issue 29 - August 2014 | Page 138

SPORTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH AUGUST SEES THE ANNUAL CANTERBURY CRICKET WEEK AT Kent County Cricket Club Summer is well and truly underway and what better way to enjoy it than with summer sports? Kent in particular is steeped in cricket tradition and in this issue we were delighted to catch up with Kent County Cricket Club and their sponsor, top-25 UK accountancy firm, Wilkins Kennedy. Rob Key, 2014 Captain of Kent County Cricket Club, is the most experienced captain on the County Cricket circuit and after a year off is back leading Kent Cricket in all three national competitions. “It was great having time away from captaincy last year, (after seven as captain), and allowed me to concentrate on my batting and just have a bit of a break,” Rob stated. “When it turned out that it had not quite worked out as we thought, in the short term, with Tredders (2013 captain James Tredwell) struggling with the time he had away with England, and they asked me to return it was a no brainer. I felt refreshed and had some unfinished business.” Key has an impressive record with over 18,000 first class runs and 52 centuries. He is currently near the top of the national batting figures for the NatWest T20 Blast competition, showing many of the young pretenders that the Kent captain still has a lot to offer. Rob is also a great respecter of the traditions and history of the game and has a keen awareness of the challenges facing County Cricket Clubs. “When you play for Kent you have some wonderful traditions that you are part of. We all look forward to Canterbury Cricket Week, with all the marquees around The Spitfire Ground, St 138 Lawrence and Ladies’ Day and all that goes with the whole event. Three top class matches will keep the players very occupied,” he states. “I have also seen many changes at the ground and the Club over the last few years. It has been absolutely fundamental to this that we have good commercial partnerships with local businesses.” Read on for more on the history of ‘The Week’, as well as news from Kent County Cricket Club.