Posted on 14/01/2010 at 18:19 by Dave Mairs
So Kent’s cricketers are to play a ‘home’ match at The Oval, home of Surrey County Cricket Club.
A joke, a hopelessly mistimed April Fool’s, or perhaps a necessary move in the wake of The St Lawrence Ground’s planned redevelopment… these were the first thoughts to flash through many supporters’ minds.
But no, it was none of these. The decision to schedule a Twenty20 clash
between Kent Spitfires and Essex Eagles was taken in the cold light of day to – in the words of acting chief executive Jamie Clifford – “spread the Kent cricket message far and wide”.
And what precisely is the “Kent cricket message” that we’re so keen to spread?
The county’s failure to win the County Championship since 1978? A truly lamentable return of three trophies in 31 years?
Or perhaps, more likely, the abandonment of all trace of history and tradition at a club that has – admittedly perhaps too much – placed great stock by such values.
Whatever the answer, thankfully the initial marketing drivel has been replaced by a more honest explanation: we’re doing it for the money.
The truth is certainly more palatable than any talk of the Kent cricket message (spare us!) but, forgetting the weight of the coffers, what’s the real cost?
Even if The Oval venture proves a financial triumph, Kent appear to be behaving like some awe-struck kid brother.
“People should come and watch us at what is an iconic venue,” Mr Clifford has told us. “It’s like having a final early in the season.”
No it isn’t. It’s like watching Kent v Essex at The Oval when we should be watching the fixture at Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells or Beckenham.
The only time Kent should be playing at The Oval is when they face Surrey in an away fixture – which, of course, is what it is.
Kent supporters invariably turn out in big numbers for those matches, ironically making them feel like home games.
That is the triumph for Kent and their fans, not the club’s administration doffing the cap and begging to be allowed to party at the home of the supposed big boys.
As a Kent supporter, I find the whole thing humiliating. Doubtless the Essex supporters at The Oval on July 9 will be quick to point out quite how laughable Kent are making themselves look.
It’s the very essence of team sport in this country – there are home ties and there are away ties.
In that respect, the quality of your ground or facilities doesn’t matter – some of the trickiest away challenges are at the grottiest places.
Not, you understand, that I’m saying The St Lawrence is grotty. It isn’t – it’s a lovely place to watch cricket – and it’s Kent’s home.
Can you imagine Lancashire playing home games at Headingley (Yorkshire’s HQ), or Yorkshire hosting games at Old Trafford
in Manchester?
Of course not – both clubs have enough respect for their traditions and, importantly, their supporters.
Perhaps at the core of this is the concept of what county cricket is all about.
With the club having fielded disappointingly few home-bred players over recent years, what makes us Kent?
It clearly isn’t that fact that we have a team of cricketers who mostly hail from the county – because we don’t – so the only credible answer is the fact that we play in Kent.
As the fans sing, “We are Kent”. And that is where, when we are competing at home, we should play our cricket.