An unbeaten 41 from 18-year-old Jaydn Denly in a solid sixth-wicket stand alongside his uncle Joe helped guide Kent to a draw in their Vitality County Championship match at Essex.
After a rain delay, Essex declared on their overnight 257 for four, setting Kent a victory target of 375.
Essex seamer Jamie Porter cut into Kent’s top order before first-class debutant Jaydn Denly and his uncle ate up 16 overs while putting on 51 runs before the latter was out for 39.
Kent, whose batters wore black armbands to mark the death of former England spinner Derek Underwood, steadied the innings from 65 for five and, following another rain break, finished on 164 for seven.
At the Oval, Surrey fell short in a run chase against Somerset as the match also ended in a draw.
Chasing 209 in 19 overs, openers Dan Lawrence and Jamie Smith (45) put on a stand of 90 to set up the prospect of a first win of the season for the champions.
However, three quick wickets in nine balls all but ended Surrey’s challenge as Kasey Aldridge picked up two in the 12th over.
Lawrence was unbeaten on 53 from 34 balls when the players shook hands with five overs left, Surrey at 123 for five.
At the Utilita Bowl, Nick Gubbins batted out the final day as Hampshire secured a draw against Lancashire.
Gubbins crafted an unbeaten 69 to end any chance of a Hampshire collapse, while James Vince and Tom Prest were equally stubborn in their resistance as the hosts finished on 179 for four.
Matthew Potts scored his maiden first-class century to help Durham earn a draw on their return to Division One action against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Warwickshire began the final day scenting victory as their newly-promoted opponents, following on, resumed on 12 for two and still 169 behind.
But stubborn batting, led by nightwatch Potts (149 not out), saw Durham close on 293 for six and earned them a draw after their first match back in the top tier against Hampshire was abandoned without a ball being bowled last week.
Nottinghamshire’s game with Worcestershire ended in a draw after the final day’s play at Trent Bridge was washed out.
In Division Two, Derbyshire earned a draw at Glamorgan on the back of a superb unbeaten stand from Luis Reece and Brooke Guest.
Derbyshire had an improbable target of 401 to chase as they resumed in Cardiff on 40 for one.
The early dismissals of David Lloyd and Wayne Madsen gave Glamorgan hope of victory, but those were the last wickets to fall.
Reece ended unbeaten on 91, with Guest 72 not out as the pair took Derbyshire to 225 for three.
Ollie Price’s career-best 147 and a century from James Bracey helped Gloucestershire to an unlikely draw with Yorkshire in Bristol.
The pair shared a fifth-wicket stand of 199, Bracey making 102, as they rescued the hosts from 97 for four overnight, chasing 498 to win.
Yorkshire’s attack was left frustrated on a placid pitch as Gloucestershire closed on 405 for six.
Heavy rain and blustery winds ruled out any play on the final day between Northamptonshire and Middlesex, leaving Middlesex’s Leus du Plooy four runs short of a double century.
Frequent heavy showers also ended an prospect of a positive result between Leicestershire and Sussex.
McKenzie hits two fifties to lead Kingston CC to first JCA Senior Cup title since 2001
West Indies batsman Kirk McKenzie was the catalyst as Kingston Cricket Club won their first Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Senior Cup title since 2001 at Sabina Park over the weekend.
Kingston took first strike after opponents, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), won the toss and elected to field first on day one on Saturday.
McKenzie led the way with a 127-ball 83 including 10 fours and five sixes as Kingston were bowled out for 251 in their first innings.
He was well supported by Jamaica Scorpions players Brad Barnes and Romaine Morris who made 57 and 44, respectively.
Tevin Gilzene, who represented the Jamaica Scorpions in the 2023 West Indies Championship, led the way for the soldiers with 5-60 from 18.5 overs while Andrae Dennis, who made his first-class debut in the final round of the recently concluded West Indies Championship, took 3-33 off nine overs in support.
Pacers Andre Bailey and Odean Smith then combined for six wickets to help reduce JDF to 185 all out in their first innings.
Bailey took 3-41from 11 overs while Smith took 3-43 from 12.
Andre Fowler led the way for JDF with a patient 108-ball 43 at the top of the order.
Kingston were 219-8 in their second innings on day two when play was called to an end.
McKenzie followed up his first innings exploits with 84 off 114 balls including 10 fours and four sixes while Smith made 45 off 27 balls including seven fours and two sixes.
Scorpions pacer Gordon Bryan took 5-28 for JDF in the second innings.
With the win, Kingston CC took home a prize of $750,00 while JDF pocketed $500,000. Patrick Harty Jr was named tournament MVP and was also the leading wicket-taker while Melbourne Cricket Club’s Javelle Glenn was the tournament’s top run scorer.
Full scores: Kingston CC 251 (Kirk McKenzie 83, Brad Barnes 57, Romaine Morris 44, Tevin Gilzene 5-60, Andrae Dennis 3-33) & 219-8 (Kirk McKenzie 84, Odean Smith 45, Gordon Bryan 5-28)
JDF 185 (Andre Fowler 43, Andre Bailey 3-41, Odean Smith 3-43)
Windies to test T20 World Cup readiness against South Africa, Australia in Jamaica and T&T; final squad to be named this week
With the ICC Men’s Twenty 20 World Cup now just about a month away, Darren Sammy and his West Indies team will up the tempo on preparations, before testing their readiness for the June 1-29 global showpiece, with a final warm-up match against Australia in Trinidad and Tobago.
Sammy’s final squad, which is expected to be named sometime this week, will be one of nine teams to travel to the Trinidad and Tobago in May for eight warm-up matches, four of which will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, while the other four is scheduled for the historic Queen’s Park Oval. The teams will arrive in twin island republic on May 21.
The revelation came from Cricket West Indies’s (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave during the recently-concluded CARICOM conference on West Indies cricket themed ‘Reinvigorating West Indies Cricket’, in Port of Spain.
Grave explained that the final West Indies squad will not convene in full until they travel to Jamaica at the end of May to engage South Africa in three warm-up contests. However, he pointed out that there will be a camp in Antigua prior, which will involve members of the final squad, who are not plying their trade in the Indian Premier League.
From Jamaica, the Rovman Powell-captained squad will then travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the clash against 50-over World Cup winners Australia, ahead of the tournament to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
West Indies, the 2012 and 2016 champions, are hunting a third T20 World Cup title.
“We’re going to have a week-long preparation camp in Antigua from May 12, before heading to Jamaica. We’re then going to leave Jamaica and come here to Trinidad and Tobago for a week’s preparation, including playing at the historic Queen’s Park Oval on May 30, in an evening fixture against one of the tournament favourites Australia,” Grave shared.
“That will probably be one of the only games in the warm-up schedule that will be ticketed, and we certainly hope that the fans here in Trinidad, and particularly those in Port of Spain, will come out and rally behind the West Indies in that warm-up match, which is the final game we’ll play before we head to Guyana for the opening game on June 2,” he added.
West Indies, who are drawn in Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, will open against the latter at the Guyana National Stadium on June 2.
Grave urged fans to come out and rally behind the West Indies outfit in their push to start the tournament on a high.
“Making sure we have a huge party in Georgetown, and we get off to a winning start (will be crucial). We all know in these global tournaments, confidence and momentum are important and we can think of nothing better than starting with a victory in Guyana and ending it in Barbados on June 29 with a similar victory,” Grave said.
Archer included in England's T20 World Cup squad
Jofra Archer has been recalled to England’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States this June.
The 29-year-old, who has not played competitive cricket since May due to a long-term elbow injury, could make his first appearance for the international team since a tour of Bangladesh in March 2023.
Archer has been limited to just 15 T20Is since his England debut in 2019 and missed their 2022 World Cup success in Australia due to the same injury.
There is a recall for fellow fast-bowler Chris Jordan, who last played for England against New Zealand in September 2023, at the expense of Chris Woakes.
Uncapped Lancashire left-arm spinner, Tom Hartley, is also named in Jos Buttler’s 15-man squad, which includes nine players from the 2022 World Cup.
England will play a four-match T20 series against Pakistan at Headingley in May before they begin their T20 World Cup title defence against Scotland in Barbados on 4 June.
England’s provisional squad:
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, To Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingston, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
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