Kent Spitfires v Scottish Saltires: 4 May 2009
SCOTLAND pushed Kent all the way, but were still unable to break their FP Trophy duck in front of a large Bank Holiday crowd at chilly Canterbury.
Half-centuries for the second game in a row from Gavin Hamilton, who retired with what looked like a hamstring injury, and Cameron Borgas allowed the Saltires to post 227 for seven against an experienced Kent attack.
It was a commendable effort, especially since the Saltires had endured a six-hour journey from Birmingham the previous evening when their bus driver's satellite navigation system took them on an unscheduled tour of central London.Scotland then gave Kent a scare before the home side reached a rain-revised target of 206 with four wickets and ten balls to spare.
It might have been a different story if the county had not been given such a solid start by skipper Rob Key and Joe Denly, who put on 70 for the first wicket. England Lions batsman Denly went on to dash Scottish hopes with a brilliant 97 not out, but not before the Saltires had applied genuine pressure by claiming six wickets.
There were two apiece for Sean Weeraratna and Ryan Watson, while Simon Smith had two stumpings and a sharp catch before Kent sneaked home in the penultimate over.Earlier, Hamilton, who should be fit for Monday's FP Trophy game against Somerset at Taunton, and Borgas were again the mainstays of the Saltires innings, the pair hitting half-centuries for the second day in a row.
However, there was also some respite for Watson in an innings of 24 and another late cameo from the lively Smith. Hamilton, opening with Moneeb Iqbal, was quickly into his stride with successive boundaries off Azhar Mahmood in the fourth over.However, while timing the ball well, Iqbal struggled to beat the infield and had made just 5 when he was caught behind by Geraint Jones off Mahmood.
Watson looked tentative at first, but exorcised some ghosts with a typically belligerent drive to the extra cover boundary off Simon Cook. The same bowler was hoisted back over his head for another boundary as Watson hinted at a full-scale return to form. However, having made 24, he miscued an attempted sweep off James Tredwell to offer a regulation catch to Darren Stevens.
The partnership of substance was provided by Hamilton and Borgas who added 84 for the third wicket. However, boundaries were hard to come by until Borgas provided impetus by pulling two sixes in one Martin van Jaarsveld over.
Hamilton, meanwhile, accumulated mainly in singles and twos on his way to 75 from 112 balls. He was attempting only his sixth boundary when he succeeded only in picking out van Jaarsveld at extra cover. It was the first of three quickfire wickets for Robbie Joseph, who bowled Jan Stander in the same over and Neil McCallum in his next.
Joseph finished with three for 55, but his six wides and four no-balls were a welcome addition to the Scottish total. Scotland's tally would have been greater had Borgas not holed out at wide long on with 12 deliveries remaining. But the Australian had again proved his worth with a 74-ball 65. Smith played his part with 23 but the Saltires were unable to hit any boundaries in the last four overs of their innings.
Willie Dick, Cricket Media Scotland
