Ed Smith, with another prolific domestic season in the bank, appears determined to move on, Middlesex his suitors, while there are rumblings amid the members — the disgust has spread from Tunbridge Wells throughout the county. The malcontents claim to have secured the 100 signatures necessary to force an extraordinary general meeting later this year, although the club say they have yet to receive formal notice of such.
Whatever comes to pass off the field, on it Smith would be much missed, especially given Rob Key’s international duties, but the form of Matthew Walker provides some solace, as did Alex Loudon and his off-spin in the season’s final throes.
Walker, a small, stocky left-hander, now 30, has matured into one of Kent’s most durable run-makers. Yesterday he reached his fourth century of the season to equal Smith’s return, and in all he has passed 50 on 12 occasions in 26 championship innings. It is a tally that has seen him outscore Smith this summer and has earned him the county’s Player of the Season award — as voted for by the members, so at least somebody is making them happy.
Yesterday Walker took his score to 108, a typically unfussy accumulation from 191 balls with 10 fours and a six, as Kent stretched their first-innings lead to 300.
Walker and Rob Joseph extended their seventh-wicket partnership to 63, but once Joseph went the rest quickly followed suit, including Walker stumped off Jamie Dalrymple, one of four wickets for the off-spinner.
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Kent’s problem this season has been with the ball, their attack hampered by the loss of players through injury. Martin Saggers, for so long a reliable supplier of wickets, has made the field for only six championship matches, while for this game they have also had to do without an overseas player of any description.
It has meant a hefty workload for Min Patel, their leading wicket-taker who himself missed the whole of last season with a back injury. After Simon Cusden, along with David Stiff one of two England Under-19 seamers in their attack, had Sven Koenig caught behind, Patel removed Ben Hutton and Owais Shah.
Patel later added a third wicket, but the rest belonged to Loudon. He had managed 23 first-class wickets before this match, but Middlesex folded in end-of-season style to leave him with six for 47, the best of his career. Only Ed Joyce, with 74, hung around for long and when he fell to Loudon all was done and dusted with a day to spare.