Latest news with #ChrisBenjamin
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Stewart century gets Kent back on track against Glos
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day one)Kent 386-6: Stewart 173*, Benjamin 82*; Singh Dale 4-97Gloucestershire: Yet to batGlos 1 pt, Kent 3 ptsMatch scorecard Grant Stewart posted a brilliant hundred to inspire a notable Kent fightback on the opening day of the County Championship match against Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium in backs firmly against the wall after being reduced to 137-6, the visitors were indebted to the seventh wicket pair of Stewart and Chris Benjamin, who staged a revitalising unbeaten stand of 249 in 56 overs to rescue a parlous situation. Stewart registered a career-best score of 173 not out from 174 balls with 19 fours and 5 sixes, while Benjamin contributed a cautious yet chanceless 82 not out, as Kent reached the close on and Benjamin made history in the Bristol sunshine, establishing a record seventh wicket stand in all matches for Kent, eclipsing the 248 scored by Arthur Day and Punter Humphreys against Somerset at Taunton in 1908. It was a remarkable turnaround in fortunes after Gloucestershire's bowlers had dominated the first few hours, Ajeet Singh Dale claiming 4-97 and Tom Price and Josh Shaw weighing in with a wicket apiece to justify captain Cameron Bancroft's decision to bowl a solid start, Kent achieved exactly the opposite, Harry Finch pursuing Shaw's second delivery of the day outside leg stump, offering a tame catch to James Bracey behind the stumps and departing for one. That set the tone, Tom Price sending down four maidens in five overs that yielded just one run as Ben Compton and Daniel Bell-Drummond fought to see off the new resistance quickly crumbled in the face of a fiery spell from Singh Dale, who generated impressive pace to remove both in the space of seven balls from the Ashley Down Road end. Bell-Drummond miscued an attempted drive and spooned a catch to mid-on, while Compton, having taken 19 balls to get off the mark and demonstrated no little application in moving his score to 19, drove loosely at a delivery that pitched outside off stump and was pouched by the diving Bracey as Kent slipped to Leaning never looked comfortable, was squared up by Singh Dale and sent a looping catch to Cameron Bancroft at second slip, at which point Singh Dale boasted figures of 3-22 from five overs. The only one of Kent's top-order batsmen to play with any authority, Tawanda Muyeye raised 25 before edging a ball that nipped off the seam to the reliable Bancroft at second slip, affording Tom Price the wicket his accuracy deserved. In urgent need of a stabilising influence, the visitors were grateful to Benjamin and Jaydn Denly, who ensured they reached lunch without further loss on to play positively, England Under-19 batsman Denly helped himself to a sumptuous cover-driven four at the expense of Tom Price to signal a change in momentum as Kent's first innings realised three figures in the 33rd over. Failing to maintain the tight lines that had characterised their work in the morning, Gloucestershire's seamers were powerless to prevent the sixth wicket pair adding 63 in 15.3 Dale returned to break the partnership, beating Denly for pace with a ball that ricocheted off bat and pad and hit the top of off stump. Denly had mustered 39 from 51 balls and was two runs adrift of his highest first-class score when he departed with the board on Singh Dale's second spell, Benjamin and Stewart found the going easier thereafter as the pitch flattened out and the shine disappeared off the ball. Adopting a forthright approach from the outset, Stewart was prepared to take risks and looked to get on the front foot and drive whenever possible. He was first to 50, attaining that landmark via 51 balls as Kent passed 200. The Australian pulled Graeme van Buuren for six to add to his half dozen fours as the visitors reached the tea interval on a relatively healthy 225-6 at the end of a session that had yielded 140 runs for the loss of just one raised a half century of his own, carefully crafted from 129 balls, as the seventh wicket alliance continued to prosper into the final session. The hundred partnership occupied 177 balls, at which point Bancroft recalled the talismanic Singh Dale. Although he went past the bat on several occasions, the 24-year-old paceman was unable to provide the breakthrough Gloucestershire off his legs, Stewart positively rushed to the second first-class hundred of his career, edging Zaman Akhter to the fine leg boundary to raise three figures via 120 balls with his twelfth four. He hooked the next ball to deep mid-wicket and was caught by Tom Price, only for the unbalanced fielder to step over the rope and concede a six, an act which helped Stewart improve upon his previous highest score of 103 made against Middlesex at Canterbury in took the new ball as soon as it became available, but were unable to curtail Stewart's lusty hitting, the 31-year-old by now scoring at better than a run a ball to progress to his maiden 150 from 152 deliveries as Kent reached the close resurgent. ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Glamorgan romp to one-sided win over Kent
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury (day three)Glamorgan 549-9 dec: Kellaway 181*, Tribe 94, Ingram 70; Kashif Ali 4-92, Parkinson 3-149Kent 212: Benjamin 94*; Van der Gugten 3-23, Harris 3-59& 176: Muyeye 41; Fernando 3-18, van der Gugten 3-33Glamorgan (23 pts) beat Kent (2 pts) by an innings and 161 runsMatch scorecard Glamorgan raced to a three-day victory by the massive margin of an innings and 161 runs as Asitha Fernando (3-18) and Timm van der Gugten (3-33) tore through Kent's second were bowled out for 176 after following on 337 runs behind, Tawanda Muyeye's 41 the top claimed all 10 wickets in a lengthy afternoon session for their first triumph of 2025 and one of their biggest ever championship Kent were bowled out for 212 first time round despite Chris Benjamin's unbeaten 94 leading some late was their second defeat after winning two of their first three matches. The home side resumed with a mountain to climb at 156-8 in their first innings, and although George Garrett edged Fernando over the slips, the tail-ender dominated the early scoring in a stand of lasted 52 minutes before Garrett, on 35, edged Zain Ul Hassan behind, and the seamer then bowled Kashif Ali for three leaving former Warwickshire wicketkeeper Benjamin frustratingly stranded six short of a first ton for his new county. Harry Finch and Ben Compton defended quietly until lunch but after the break Finch hit the first three balls from Ul Hassan for four, only to lose partner Compton lbw to Fernando for top order fell apart for the second time in the game as Daniel Bell-Drummond edged Andy Gorvin to a diving Kiran Carlson at slip and Finch (28) edged Fernando through to Chris Cooke.A bizarre interruption saw most of the players and umpires hit the deck briefly as a bee swarm was sighted, not helping Jack Leaning's concentration as he was caught behind off Fernando next ball. Ekansh Singh, 18, was on a pair but squirted one past short-leg to get off the mark to knowledgeable applause from the Kent faithful, managing one boundary before providing Cooke with another catch off van der Netherlands international then disposed of Benjamin and Grant Stewart before top scorer Muyeye was trapped lbw by James Harris and Matt Parkinson hammered a return catch to Ben the afternoon session was extended, a slightly farcical end saw the visitors turn to double spin to improve their over-rate and last man Kashif slammed Kiran Carlson for three sixes. He holed out to Gorvin on the mid-wicket boundary for 32 and that was that with four sessions to spare.
