Kent bowlers inflict Beckenham misery on Surrey Lions
10:27am Monday 18th June 2012 in Sport By Jim Palmer
AN ASPHIXIATING bowling performance from Kent Spitfires stifled the Surrey Lions’ roar in the Friends Life T20 yesterday at Beckenham.
On a blissfully sunny day, Kent sauntered to an eight-wicket victory by chasing down Surrey’s 116 with 22 balls to spare.
The Lions, who were without Aussie paceman Dirk Nannes or England duo Chris Tremlett and Kevin Pietersen, had already played and won two in the competition but never found their stride.
Skipper Rob Key was happy to get the T20 phase going with a win after a washout earlier in the week.
He said: “They were on a bit of a roll, so it was nice to put in a decent performance in our first game.
“You don't really have a plan in T20, but I would have taken 116. You don't quite know how it is going to go with your bowlers – some days they'll get smoked, some days they won't.
“Today was a good day.”
A hungry Kent struck with the first ball as Jason Roy was caught by Key off the bowling of Mark Davies and the Spitfires scarcely relented thereafter.
After the powerplay, Surrey were pinned back to 25-2 and only a gutsy unbeaten 53 from Gary Wilson, who was twice dropped, made the score competitive.
All-rounder Darren Stevens said: “They put themselves under pressure, played poor shots and didn’t really assess the pitch.
“We just played smart cricket.”
Bexley boy Adam Ball took two cheap wickets, while England spinner James Tredwell constricted the run rate.
Pakistan star Azhar Mahmood bowled finely at the death with a peach of a yorker rattling Gareth Batty’s off stump with the last ball.
Kent knocked the runs off easily with a captain’s innings from Key, who was trouble-free in his unbeaten 51.
Beckenham-raised Key added: “The batters had the easy job, the bowlers were the ones that won us the game.
“My mum and dad don’t often get to see me play these days, so it was nice for them to see me play and score some runs, which doesn’t always happen.”
Stevens wasn’t scared of biffing it, plundering four sixes in his 43 not out, including a big one down the ground to seal victory.
A decent crowd made the most of the sunshine, the majority lapping up a home victory.
Stevens added: “The atmosphere is awesome.
“It was packed, it was 10 deep all the way round the ground.
“The Spitfire bus was packed, the tents were busy. It was a great atmosphere.
“We love playing up here, we really enjoy it.”
Kent coach Jimmy Adams said: “It was the biggest crowd we have had all season, so it was good to have that support.
“We are very happy with the ground.
“Thankfully the weather held and we got some cricket.”
Source: www.newsshopper.co.uk
Kent State notebook Flashes play with a heavy heart - Daily Record
OMAHA, Neb. - Kent State played its first College World Series game with a heavy heart after learning the mother of junior catcher Jason Bagoly had died unexpectedly late Thursday evening.
The Golden Flashes' players wore white stickers on their hats with the initials "CM" printed in purple to remember the life of Cheryl McHenry on Saturday at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha.
Bagoly, of Austintown, was in uniform during the Flashes' 8-1 loss to Arkansas.
"We all feel awful for Jason," said KSU coach Scott Stricklin. "We gave Jason the option to do whatever he wanted to do, if he wanted to fly home. But the fact is most of his family is here. And then his second family, his team, is here. He made the decision that there was nothing he could do if he went home. Arrangements are still being made and he'd end up wishing he was back here with his teammates."
Bagoly, who high school ball at Austintown Fitch, is hitting .264 this season in 91 at bats spread over 33 games, including 24 starts.
He was on deck waiting to pinch hit in the ninth inning when a double play ended the game.
"We really wanted to get him an at-bat today," Stricklin said after the game. "He is definitely going to get an at-bat on Monday."
The Flashes will play either Florida or South Carolina in an elimination game at 5 p.m. EDT on Monday.
"Our prayers are with Jason's family and our thoughts are with him," said Stricklin. "He has gotten a lot of hugs from our kids the last couple days. We love him to death and he loves us back because he wants to stay with us."
FACES IN THE CROWD ... The blue-and-gold Kent State T-shirts started pouring into the Old Mattress Bar and Grill a little more than two hours before the first pitch of the Golden Flashes' first College World Series game.
More than 400 KSU alums and fans mingled with the families of the Flashes' players on the second floor of the famous bar and grill located just one block south of TD Ameritrade Park.
The official pre-game party hosted by the university gave old friends, former teammates and classmates the chance to reconnect and celebrate Kent State's historic season before making their way down 13th street to the ballpark gates.
In one corner of the bar, 1980-81 KSU baseball co-captain Jeff Kurtz shared a hug with Melanie Spiroff, a 2012 Kent State grad and the daughter of Kurtz' classmate and co-captain George Spiroff.
"George was a catcher and the first All-American for Kent State after Thurman Munson, but most of all he was a great teammate and a fantastic guy," said Kurtz, who is the longtime public-address voice of the Flashes at both the M.A.C. Center and Dix Stadium. "He passed away unexpectedly about four years ago. When I saw Melanie walk in the bar, we just hugged and cried and talked about how much her dad would have loved to be here."
Melanie Spiroff made the snap decision to make the trip to Omaha on the bus organized by KSU alum and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Joshua Cribbs.
"It will be four years in August since my dad died, and I can't imagine spending this weekend any other way," said Spiroff, who lives in Kent but will be attending medical school at the University of Texas. "I feel blessed to get this gift the same year I graduated … The program meant so much to my father. I grew up around the program. I started crying when I saw Jeff, and I know if my dad was here with us, he'd be crying right next to us seeing the team he loved in the College World Series."
GET OFF THE BUS … When the "Flash Mob" from the @TeamCribbs bus arrived from its 16 hour tour, some of the 46 passengers who disembarked found their way to "the Blatt." From TD Ameritrade Park's home plate, the bar is about a 450-foot shot straight down the right field line.
Former and current KSU students Keith Potoczak, Jay Bell and Ryan Orr of Cleveland, Britton Miller and Billy Hostetler of Wooster, and Michelle Martinez of Valley View were were part of that mob scene.
For alums Potoczak and Bell, celebrating a Cinderella Kent State story is not a new experience. They were KSU students when the Flashes' men's basketball team made it to the Elite Eight in 2002.
"This feels a lot like that Elite Eight run," said Potoczak. "That was a pretty good party. We watched the first game against Pittsburgh at the (Phi Sigma Kappa) fraternity, and then the next game we were on spring break … But this, being able to come down here and cheer on the baseball team is an awesome experience.
"College basketball is a little more mainstream with so many games on television. But now with people getting on the bandwagon, it's cool to see so many people enjoying this."
Orr said they "tossed around" the idea of going to Omaha when KSU won the Super Regional on Monday. When they saw the bus deal offered by Cribbs on Twitter, "it was a done deal."
"We called and within five minutes we were signed up and ready to go," said Orr. "The ride was a lot of fun."
All 46 passengers were scheduled to re-board the bus for the return trip after the game.
FUN EXPERIMENT FOR CRIBBS … Cribbs flew to Omaha from Las Vegas, arriving at TD Ameritrade Park around the fourth inning and immediately joining the crew from the bus to cheer on his alma mater.
"It's a good showing," he said. "This is a once in a lifetime thing and I'm glad it came together to help people get out here. I actually was offered some seats up in a suite but that's not me. I'm cheering them on from here.
"(KSU baseball) Has been so good for so long, finally making it here now, I knew I didn't want to miss it. I'm glad this whole thing kind of came together."
Source: www.the-daily-record.com
Skipper Rob Key guides Kent Spitfires to opening Friends Life T20 victory at Beckenham - Kent Online
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Adam Ball celebrates the wicket of Zafar Ansari Picture: Barry Goodwin
Kent Spitfires claimed their opening win of the Friends Life T20 after thrashing Surrey by eight wickets at Beckenham on Sunday with 22 balls to spare.
After losing their first game against Sussex to the weather on Tuesday, Kent made the perfect start to this season’s campaign when Mark Davies had Jason Roy caught by skipper Rob Key from the first ball of the match.
Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown had won the toss and decided to bat first but he must have had second thoughts when Matt Coles claimed his wicket to leave Surrey 13-2.
Adam Ball took the wickets of Tom Maynard and Matthew Spriegel, while Sam Billings ran out the dangerous Steven Davies for 31 from 27 balls.
Gary Wilson hit four boundaries and a six in his 53 not out from 43 balls to help guide Surrey to 116-7.
Azhar Mahmood took 2-12 at the death, while Davies bowled out for 1-17 at the start of the innings. Ball finished with 2-23 and James Tredwell an economical 0-18 from his four overs.
In reply, Spitfires were 24-0 after three overs but their progress was checked when Billings was trapped in front by Jade Dernbach for 18 and Mahmood made only six after coming in at No.3.
Darren Stevens and anchorman Key steadied the ship, although the scoring rate slowed down as spin bowling proved effective and Dernbach – who was released from the England one-day squad to play in the game – difficult to get away at times.
But after reaching 71-2 in 12 overs, Kent pressed the accelerator again and raced through to their victory target.
Key reached his half-century as Kent closed in on victory and the skipper finished unbeaten on 51 at the close.
Stevens finished the game with a six – his fourth of the innings – as he hit 43 from 25 balls and Spitfires 120-2 in 16.2 overs.
Monday, June 18 2012
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Source: www.kentonline.co.uk
