Stewart trumps Green as Aussies shine in county drama
In his first county match as Lancashire skipper, 42-year-old legend Jimmy Anderson also played his part in a remarkable second-division match in which a quartet of Australians all starred.
Pride of place went to Grant Stewart, an Australian with an Italian background who has earned his spurs at Kent as a crowd-pleasing, fast-bowling allrounder.
Grant Stewart's magnificent 130 from only 122 deliveries today saw him pass 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ First-Class Kent runs.Congratulazioni Grant 👏🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/QcFvEvdaP4
— Kent Cricket (@KentCricket) June 25, 2025
This time he went ballistic at No.9 as Kent fought to save the match against a Lancashire side helped to a massive 9-639 declared in large part thanks to a county debut innings of 154 on Tuesday from West Australian Ashton Turner (11 fours, six sixes).
As Kent, 265 runs behind, knuckled down to try to save the match on Wednesday, Lancashire's Australian offspinning allrounder Chris Green put them on the rack, grabbing four wickets, including three victims in just 15 balls, as the visitors slumped to 5-84.
But with defeat looking inevitable at 7-116, Stewart teamed up for an amazing, counter-attacking eighth-wicket partnership with Joey Evison to save the day.
Deciding attack was the best form of defence, Stewart went on the rampage either side of tea, going to his 50 off 42 balls by smiting three big sixes. Less than 45 minutes later he had scorched his way to a 79-ball hundred, featuring eight sixes and nine fours.
The Kalgoorlie-born Stewart, who is not deemed an "overseas player'' because he has a European Union passport through his Italian mother, had in May played an even more destructive innings at No.8, plundering 182 against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
This time he and Evison smashed 182 together - an eighth-wicket record for Kent against Lancashire - only for the Aussie to fall to Anderson for 130 (122 balls, 12 fours, nine sixes) with safety having not yet been quite achieved.
Step forward another Aussie, Wes Agar, who got them to the draw with his 21 not out alongside Evision's unbeaten 77 as Kent finished on 8-328. Green picked up 4-104.
Another Australian batter who enjoyed the introduction of the Kookaburra ball to the county season was Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft, whose mammoth knock of 176 against Derbyshire at Bristol followed his first-innings 58.
His monumental second-innings effort, which was ended for the addition of just six runs to his overnight total, had spanned nearly seven and three-quarter hours and 366 balls, and helped him set Derbyshire a victory target of 316 in a minimum of 67 overs.
Derbyshire went for broke early, with their Tasmanian opener Caleb Jewell cracking 83 off 80 balls in a 177-run first-wicket partnership with Harry Came (91), who just missed out on his second ton of the match.
Australian Test spinner Todd Murphy bowled 58 overs and took five wickets in the match (3-120 and 2-114), which finished in a compelling draw with Derbyshire on 8-296, just 20 short of their target.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Manchester City Plot Shock Move for Chelsea Target With PSG Clause Attached
Chelsea look set to sign 22-year-old Xavi Simons, who left PSG earlier this year, while Arsenal is also showing interest. Wherever Simons ends up, PSG is expected to make a solid profit from the transfer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Leipzig agreed to an €80 million deal for Simons, with €55 million paid upfront. The Dutch midfielder's contract runs through June 2027, and PSG included a sell-on clause to secure a share of any future transfer fees. That strategy is already paying off. Adam Crafton of The Athletic revealed that PSG recently received €17 million (£15 million) from Hugo Ekitiké's move to Liverpool thanks to a similar clause. Romano also said Chelsea are making strong progress on personal terms. Simons is reportedly open to the move and interested in joining the Premier League club, though talks are still ongoing. Can Manchester City land former PSG standout?Journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported on Monday that with Savinho likely to leave, Manchester City have reopened talks with super agent Ali Barat as they try to lure Simons away from Chelsea. Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sport Germany reported that Xavi Simons has already agreed to full terms with Chelsea and remains eager to join, waiting patiently for the move to go through. Chelsea are still pushing to finalize the deal but need to offload more players first. A swap involving Christopher Nkunku isn't being considered at this stage, though RB Leipzig are still open to taking Nkunku on loan. For now, the full cost of a Simons transfer is proving too steep for Bayern Munich.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Damning reason behind calls for Latrell Mitchell shift as Bennet faces tough decision
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett is facing growing calls to keep Jye Gray in the No.1 jersey for the remainder of the season after Latrell Mitchell made a successful switch on the weekend. Mitchell was a massive inclusion for the South Sydney Rabbitohs last weekend and ignited the side's attack in the win over the Gold Coast Titans. Bennett has mostly named Mitchell in the No.1 jersey this year when fit, but opted to play their star in the centres due to a lack of options due to injury against the Titans. And the Rabbitohs talisman helped set-up the first try for Alex Johnston in the 20-18 win. The victory saw the Rabbitohs jump the Titans on for and against with Gold Coast now sitting in the wooden spoon position. Although both teams are fighting to avoid last place going forward with a number of huge games emerging. And Bennett is now facing a tough call on whether to keep the winning formula or shift Mitchell back to fullback. Gray was excellent against the Titans on the weekend having run for 181 metres and offered a lively presence at the back for the Rabbitohs. The team has benefited from Gray's energy back in the side having missed him for a number of weeks after his round 15 setback. And leading NRL commentator Andrew Voss has claimed Bennett should leave Gray in the No.1 jersey with the stats proving the team have benefited when he is at the back. The Rabbitohs have won five of 12 games when Gray has lined-up at fullback in 2025, according to However, they have only won two of seven games when Mitchell was playing fullback. While there are plenty of factors to consider when tossing up the skills they bring to the team, Voss feels the Rabbitohs look better with Gray at fullback and Mitchell at centre. 'I said it at the start of the year. Remember at the start of the year when Latrell wasn't there, Souths were winning games," Voss said on SEN Radio. 'I just think Jye Gray, in that particular side, is the energiser bunny. I think he is a first grader and his only position is fullback.' NRL great Greg Alexander wasn't as convinced as Voss and claimed he would move Mitchell back when fully fit. 'I'm not confident Jye Gray is the man," he added. 'Where would Jye Gray fall in the pecking order of fullbacks?' Voss pointed out Gray's energy at the back benefited the Rabbitohs and he would leave Mitchell at centre. And Alexander accepted if playing centre meant Mitchell could play the majority of a season then it could be worth it keeping him there going forward. Mitchell has only played 11 games so far for the side in 2025 due to injury and State of Origin. 'I think after playing less than half of games over the last three years, it is worth a roll of the dice to leave Latrell in the centres," he added. 'He can still have an impact on the game. He only needs 10 touches and he can come up with a couple of try assists, a line break and a big play. He can do that in the centres. It's worth having him play a bigger part of the season." Wayne Bennett praises Latrell Mitchells return This isn't the first time this season fans have debated where Mitchell's best position is for the Rabbitohs. Fans will find out where Mitchell is named for the clash against the Eels on the weekend with a win maybe enough to help Bennett avoid his first ever wooden spoon. The coach was full of praise for Mitchell on the weekend having returned and captained the side from left centre. Mitchell hadn't played in a number of weeks due to a quad injury, but was ready instrumental in the win. "We probably don't win if he doesn't play," Bennett said. "The other guys have all been playing their hearts out and doing their best. He's just a quality player, in the top four or five in the country, and showed that today."
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea star 'confident' ahead of Premier League opener
Chelsea star 'confident' ahead of Premier League opener originally appeared on The Sporting News Chelsea have brought in two new forwards that will hopefully solve Chelsea's number nine curse. Liam Delap arrived from Ipswich, and João Pedro has come in from Brighton. Both forwards have already shown they can score for Chelsea, but Delap's father believes his son is ready to shine for Chelsea. What did Delap's father say about his son's confidence? Speaking ahead of the launch of Final One Standing by William Hill, Rory Delap said, "Liam is really enjoying his time at Chelsea. "We watched a lot of the Club World Cup games in America, and although we weren't too sure about it at the start, it really grew in the later rounds and was a good competition." 📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Delap featured in Chelsea's Club World Cup run and scored once in six appearances. The Englishman also scored twice in Chelsea's friendly against AC Milan. The striker's dad continued, "The biggest thing for us is that Chelsea didn't just go there to take part, they went there to win it. "That mentality suits Liam down to the ground because he wants to win trophies and be successful. That's why he joined Chelsea. "Thankfully, he's already won one early on, but hopefully there's a lot more to come." Delap's father finished by saying, "Liam knows he's going to have to compete for his place in the team and make it his own. He's under no illusions about that. "That said, he's confident in himself, and we just hope both Chelsea and Liam can have a successful time together." Chelsea news and related links How Chelsea could complete four final transfers before Premier League opener Micah Richards believes Chelsea are one signing away from a PL title challenge Man City plans Chelsea transfer hijack after 'contact made'
