National Cricket League
Kent versus Yorkshire

at Tunbridge Wells


Sunday 8 June 2025

By Roy D Wilkinson


Yorkshire will be making their first visit to Tunbridge Wells to play a limited-overs match. Their last match at the Nevill Cricket Ground was a drawn County Championship fixture in 1990.

Since this competition began in 1969 Yorkshire have played Kent 35 times, have won 16 and lost 19.
In addition one match was abandoned after only one over and two others were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Yorkshire’s record in Kent is: Played 20, won 7, lost 13. In addition one match was abandoned.

Three very close finishes have taken place in Kent - all at Canterbury.

In 1980 Yorkshire lost by 10 runs. Facing a target of 220 to win, Yorkshire were off to a good start and at one stage were 97 for no wicket, but four quick wickets left them struggling at 113 for 4. Chris Old’ 49 was not enough to seal the win leaving Yorkshire 209 for 8 off their 40 overs.

Yorkshire were fortunate to win the 1992 match. After a solid start, with Ashley Metcalfe making 39 and Sachin Tendulkar 33, 138 for 3 became 161 for 8 off 40 overs. Kent made a poor start and were at one stage 95 for 7. Mark Ealham and Richard Davis took them to within touching distance of an exciting win but Yorkshire got the winning points by just 4 runs

Another close encounter was in 2001, when Yorkshire went down by 8 runs. It was a match which Yorkshire, at 197 for 3, were winning with some ease. Needing 29 off five overs should have presented no problems. But runs dried up leaving 17 needed off two overs. Two wickets fell in the penultimate over leaving 13 required off the last with five wickets in hand. Three wickets fell and only four runs were scored. A match given away. But all credit to Martin Saggers who took three wickets in that final, frenetic, over.

Some exciting cricket - but that’s Canterbury. What does Tunbridge Wells have in store?