Head coach Adam Hollioake wants Kent to use the example of County Championship Division 2 champions Leicestershire as inspiration for what they can achieve in future seasons.
Kent’s red-ball match against Leicestershire ended in a rain-affected draw on Thursday, three of the four days being abandoned without a ball being bowled.
With Leicestershire taking a 25-point advantage into the last two rounds of games this term, the 13 points they took from the draw puts them out of reach of second-placed Glamorgan, who claimed only nine from their drawn away match in similar conditions against Derbyshire.
In contrast, injury-hit Kent, who fielded five teenagers for the match against Leicestershire, already know they will finish bottom of Division 2 this summer ahead of their season-ending clash with Derbyshire in Canterbury. That’s due to start from Wednesday.
But Hollioake is optimistic brighter times lie ahead after his first campaign as Kent head coach.
“Congratulations to Leicestershire,” the 54-year-old said. “They’ve played good cricket.
“They were in a similar situation to us a couple of years ago so, if anything, it’s a good learning for us to look at the way they’ve gone and how they’ve improved and for us to try and mirror that.
“We’ve had a season blighted by injuries. I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a team – as a player [or] as a coach – with so many.
“Literally in this game, we’re probably picking from 13 players.
“The young players who have come in, it just gives them a gauge of where they’re at in their career and what they’ve got to do.
“That’s the standard you’ve got to try and achieve.
“Hopefully, this has gone a long way towards their education and, when we come back next year, they’re wiser and more confident for the experience.”
On the only day when play was possible against Leicestershire, the hosts racked up a first-innings score of 459-7 declared despite all-rounder Joey Evison claiming 3-67.
Teenager Ekansh Singh (1-59) also bowled, alongside first-class debutants Olly Curtiss (0-39) and Corey Flintoff (0-91), before 18-year-old batsman Ben Dawkins helped the away team to 17-0 with skipper Harry Finch by the close.
Meanwhile, Kent appointed a new acting chief executive on Thursday.
Nimmo Reid will help fill the void left by the departing Simon Storey from November 1 as Storey moves into an advisory position.
Reid said: “Having been at the club now for over 20 years, I’m delighted to be taking on the acting CEO role while we ensure that the right person will join us on a permanent basis.
“All of the staff at the club are working hard to ensure that we remain competitive on and off the field, with a lot of work having been done in a cricketing perspective with our men’s and women’s Talent Pathways, as well as looking into ways of making our two venues at Canterbury and Beckenham profitable all-year round.
“Together, we’ll continue to work hard to secure the club’s business plans and ensure that Kent Cricket is in as good a position that it can be ahead of us welcoming a new CEO.”
