Broadstairs' remarkable Kent Cricket League T20 cup run came to an end on Sunday in a tense encounter at home to Premier Division side Tunbridge Wells CC when they lost on the last ball of the match. Having won the toss and electing to bat first, the home side stumbled to a tentative 13-2 in the fifth over and it was only when the reliable partnership of Elliot Fox and Matt Frewin came together that the scoring rate started to pick-up. When Frewin fell for 19, a series of productive partnerrships between Fox and Harry Carter (15) and then Chris Kidd (16*) brought some respectability to the Broadstairs total. Fox was eventually dismissed in the final over, just two runs short of a half-century and with Kidd hitting a six off the last ball, the hosts finished on 139-9, a score they felt they had it within in them to successfully defend. Ex-Broadstairs spinner Joe McCaffrey was the stand-out bowler for Tunbridge Wells with figures of 3-5 off 4 overs.
The start of the Tunbridge Wells reply could not have gone any better for Broadstairs with Chris Kidd claiming the wicket of skipper Chris Williams with no runs on the board. However, some excellent batting from the visitors put them in the driving seat with Viraj Bhatia (38) and Alex Williams (37) getting the better of the Broadstairs attack. However, with Tunbridge Wells still needing around 8 runs per over for the last 5 overs, the hosts were still in with a chance. Step-up another ex-Broadstairs player, David Smith, who hit a composed 50 off 28 balls to clinch victory on the final ball of the match, dispatching Jamie Dewell for six to reach 144-6. The remaining wickets were claimed by Oli Frewin (2), Matt Frewin (1) along with two run outs in the closing stages.
This completed a highly entertaining match and signalled the end of a super cup run for the youthful Broadstairs side. It demonstrated that Broadstairs have the quality to compete at the highest level and as they look to further strengthen the side over the winter, they can look forward to a successful season in 2021.
