A superb maiden one-day century by Northamptonshire captain Alex Wakely spearheaded a 29-run win against Kent at Tunbridge Wells.
02-Jun-2013
ScorecardNorthants skipper Alex Wakely made his maiden one-day ton•Getty Images
A superb maiden one-day century by Northamptonshire captain Alex Wakely spearheaded a 29-run win against Kent at Tunbridge Wells. The win takes Northants into third place in Group A of the Yorkshire Bank 40.There was also a fine 88 from Northamptonshire opener Rob Newton, who added 144 in 18 overs with Wakely before he was forced to retire hurt with an ankle injury.Northamptonshire, asked to bat first, totalled 263 for 4 and then bowled with great discipline to restrict Kent to 234 all out in reply on a fast-scoring ground. Trent Copeland finished with four for 46 while Lee Daggett particularly outstanding as he took 2 for 28 from his eight-over allocation.Kent were 132 for 1 in the 24th over before a mid-innings collapse to 149 for 5 left them with too much to do in the last 10 overs.Alex Blake did his best to revive the innings by hitting 43 from just 24 balls, including a six and seven fours, but when he sliced a catch to cover off Copeland in the third of the four batting powerplay overs there were only a few more defiant blows from Matt Coles before Northamptonshire’s victory was confirmed.This was Kent’s third defeat in seven games in the competition and, even though they remain in second place in the group table, they will now struggle to qualify as leaders Nottinghamshire already have five wins from five games and are odds-on favourites to finish top later in the season.Wakely’s 102 came from just 77 balls, with four sixes and seven fours, and he provided the major impetus with a stream of fine strokes, including three extra cover boundaries in a single over from offspinner Adam Riley.Newton was never as fluent, as his 88 took 103 balls, but he struck two sixes and eight fours in all and was just beginning to put real pressure on Kent’s bowlers when, in the 35th over, he suffered the injury to his right ankle in freakish fashion. Going down on one knee, Newton badly twisted his ankle as he flipped a ball over his left shoulder to the fine leg boundary for his eighth four.After contorting himself to pull off the stroke against left-arm seamer Adam Ball, Newton crumpled in pain in the crease and could only continue after receiving treatment as he lay on the pitch. Given a runner, he straight drove Ball’s next delivery over long off for six, but flinched with pain again as he played the shot and had to hobble from the field.Wakely completed his brilliant hundred at the start of the last over, lofting Calum Haggett over mid off for four, but then skied a catch from the next ball after Northamptonshire had also lost David Willey to a mishit to deep square cover off Coles.For Kent, Haggett and Coles bowled excellently with the new ball and Darren Stevens was his usual metronomic self with his medium-paced swing and cut.Riley, apart from one expensive over, was tidy but Ball did not look comfortable in the batting powerplay overs and Kent clearly missed their captain James Tredwell, away with England’s one-day team, and the injured seamer Mark Davies.Northamptonshire bowled and fielded better than Kent as a unit, with Stevens run out for 10 by an excellent pick up and throw from Mohammad Azharullah coming in from long leg, and – as in their previous defeat at Sussex – Kent seemed to get themselves in a tangle with their choice of batting order after a good start.Sam Northeast, with 41 from 51 balls, added 64 for the first wicket with Sam Billings, who went on to 57 from 67 balls as he put on a further 68 for the second wicket with Brendan Nash.But when Nash skied a catch on 32 and Billings was bowled swinging at Daggett, the innings lost momentum at a crucial stage as Northamptonshire seized their chance.
