Date-stamped : 09 Jun97 - 06:16
Bowl-out ghost is exorcised

By Paul Newman at Tunbridge Wells

Kent (177) bt Warwickshire (145) by 32 runs

KENT`s  defeat  by  Warwickshire  in a 1994 Benson and Hedges Cup
quarter-final  bowl-out  caused  resentment  that  still  lingers
now. They have repaid them this season, however, with interest.

The bad feeling over that controversy, which  Kent  blamed on in-
adequate Edgbaston  covering,  has led to a cooling in the  rela-
tionship  between  the  clubs that even extended to a conspicuous
absence of  War- wickshire committee  men  at this year`s  Nevill
festival.  Yet Kent sup- porters can hardly harbour a grudge now.

First, two weeks ago, Kent chased 306 to  beat  Warwickshire   in
this  year`s  cup  quarter-final.  Then they defeated them in the
cham- pionship on Saturday and yesterday, with Paul Strang to the
fore,  they completed the treble to maintain a super start to the
season.

It  did  not  appear to be Kent`s day when they  slipped  to  124
for seven on a unpredictable pitch,  Trevor  Ward  showing unusu-
al  re- straint to hold  the  innings  together,  but  Strang,  a
Zimbabwean  reminder of England`s dim and distant past, gave Kent
much needed zest  in a stand of  49  with Martin McCague in eight
overs. It proved a match- winning partnership.

There  was  a  scare for Kent, however, when they looked to  have
done the hard work by reducing  Warwickshire  to  99  for  eight,
Strang  ex- tracting bounce and turn in claiming  three  wickets.
A  hard  hitting flurry from Graeme  Welch  and   Michael  Edmond
gave  the  visitors hope but Nigel Llong, coming on for his first
bowl of the day with just  four overs  left,  induced  Edmond  to
hole out to cow corner. The end, for Warwickshire, was  nigh  and
the bowl-out ghost was exorcised once and for all - it was  Llong
who missed the stumps twice in 1994.

Kent`s  day  was  completed by the successful return after a back
injury of Dean Headley ahead  of  tomorrow`s  semi-final  against
North amptonshire.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

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