Ben Compton hopes he has proved his worth to Kent fans since he signed for the county – and has pledged to continue to do so.
Eyebrows were raised when opener Compton joined ahead of the 2022 season.
While Kent have struggled to enjoy much success as a side in recent years, he has often been a stand-out performer despite having limited first-team chances prior to his Canterbury switch.
Compton enjoyed a dream debut season that saw him top County Championship Division 1’s averages with 1,193 runs at 54.22 before he racked up 1,386 runs in Division 2 at an average of 60.26 in 2025, winning a trio of Kent end-of-season awards on both occasions.
“I’m very pleased with my work so far,” said 31-year-old Compton.
“But there’s always things to improve on and get better at. I have very high aspirations and set high standards for myself.
“Being consistent is one of the things I pride myself on so that’s my challenge for next year.
“I was 27 when I signed for Kent and didn’t have a lot of first-team experience. I was at Nottinghamshire prior to that and was in and out of the first team, struggling for opportunities.
“When (then-head coach) Matt Walker called me and said ‘Compo, we want this kind of role at the top of the order with a solid left-hander’ that excited me. I said ‘I can’t promise anything but I’ll try my absolute best’ and things have worked out nicely.
“In general, I can’t speak highly enough of backing players and giving them opportunities – then, it’s down to the player to improve and prove their worth. Hopefully, I’ve done that.”
And left-hander Compton is likely to stick around at Kent for a while yet after he penned a new three-year deal in June, and was also handed county cap No.223.
He said: “I’ve made it quite public I’ve been really happy at Kent.
“We have had some challenges – that’s no secret – but I’ve really enjoyed my first season under (head coach) Adam Hollioake.
“I think there’s a lot of things that can get a lot better very quickly. I think he’s putting the right things in place so I was really excited and happy to continue my stay there.
“I think I can talk for a lot of the guys – Tawanda Muyeye, Joey Evison and Grant Stewart – they have signed new deals, too.
“The exciting thing is you have got a lot of core, experienced players, extending their time at Kent Cricket for a period of time that you can merge with our younger guys.”
Compton will get married in Cape Town, South Africa, in December and admits the support of fiancée Amy has provided off the field has helped him deliver on it.
“That sort of senior group – Grant Stewart, myself, Harry Finch, Jack Leaning, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly, whose a little bit older than us – like in any profession, we’ve probably all got to an age where we’ve started valuing that sort of thing more,” he said. “I’m so blessed to have my fiancée.
“She’s been pivotal in my life. Balancing home life and professional sport is an art.
“I’m very pleased and very excited for that chapter.”
