Kent v Glamorgan: match history

Honorary curator David Robertson looks through the archives ahead of Kent's second home game of the season as we welcome Glamorgan to The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

Next to Durham they are the youngest County playing in the Championship, having been admitted in 1921.

Since then, there have been 98 encounters between us, 51 at home and 47 away. Of those matches, Kent have won 36, 34 have been drawn and our visitors have been victorious 28 times. Kent’s home matches against our Welsh opponents have been spread over 10 grounds in the County with Canterbury hosting 20.

Recent matches have created and surpassed records although in the last few years results have not been kind to Kent. In the 2005 contest at Cardiff a number of new records were established. Martin van Jaarsveld continued his sensational early season form with a not out 262 in a Kent total of 568.

That total was then a new record for Kent in matches against Glamorgan and Martin’s score was the highest by a Kent batsman in matches between us until eclipsed by Rob Key’s undefeated 270 on the same ground four years later.

In the 2005 match van Jaarsveld’s eighth wicket partnership with Min Patel of 159 and his tenth with Martin Saggers are the highest ever between the two counties.

Further records were set at Canterbury in the 2005 return match and in 2009. Darren Stevens (208) and Andrew Hall (133) put on 267 for the sixth wicket in 2005 then four years later James Tredwell (59) and Wayne Parnell (90) added 151 for the seventh wicket.

That was after Geraint Jones (133) and Martin van Jaarsveld (182) had added 309 for the third. That’s not quite the end: Rob Key’s 270 at Cardiff included a new record fifth wicket stand with Justin Kemp (90) and in the 2005 return match on the Spitfire Ground St Lawrence a new record innings score of 587 for Kent was recorded.

It was on Kent’s headquarters ground in 1999 that Glamorgan achieved their highest total against us, with a score of 544. The highest aggregate of runs was 1382 at Abergavenny in 1994 when all 40 wickets fell.

The lowest aggregate was at Gillingham in 1967 when only 437 runs were scored, once again with all 40 wickets going down. The highest single innings score in that match was Kent’s first innings 137.

Arthur Fagg holds the record for the highest numbers of runs by a Kent player with 1716. whilst for Glamorgan Alan Jones scored 1725.

Bowlers have dominated on occasions. The best innings return for Kent was David Halfyard’s 9-39 at Neath in 1957 when the home county was dismissed for 89. The best for Glamorgan was Jim Pressdee’s 8-61 at Dover in 1963. The best match analysis for Kent still stands with “Tich” Freeman who, on this ground in 1932 recorded 13-84.

Wilf Wooller’s 11-81 at Cardiff in 1953 remains Glamorgan’s best. The outstanding career bowling returns for each of the counties are held by Derek Underwood for Kent with 107 wickets and Don Shepherd for Glamorgan who took 96.

Four years ago Canterbury staged the one and only experimental pink ball floodlit Championship game against Glamorgan.