Kent were relegated in 2008, less than a month after nearly topping the table
By Jon Barbuti
There is a thin line between success and failure in county cricket - and for Kent, the entire 2008 season could be boiled down to just 30 balls.
At Scarborough, they had Yorkshire nine down with 28 balls left. Had they found a way past the obdurate defence of Matthew Hoggard or Deon Kruis, they would have moved top of Division One of the County Championship with three matches remaining. Instead, less than a month later, they were relegated.
In the Twenty20 Cup final at the Rose Bowl, the margin between success and failure was even thinner. Kent needed three off the final two balls to retain the trophy and secure a slot in the Caribbean as part of the ill-fated Stanford Super Series.
But Tyron Henderson somehow bowled two dot balls to the Spitfires' normally big-hitting South African Justin Kemp and the trophy went to Middlesex.
Throw in a Friends Provident Trophy final defeat by Essex and you have a season that perfectly encapsulates the see-saw nature of the county game.
We feel we are good enough to be playing in the First Division and winning it, but we can't naively think we can pitch up and win games this year
Geraint Jones
"The end of the season was highly disappointing and being relegated left a bitter taste, but we were in two finals and if it wasn't for the last week or two it would have been considered a success," insists wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.
"It's a shame the season is being remembered for the relegation. As a player I get a bit annoyed. We got to two finals and I think supporters of any other club would have loved to have done that.
"We lost form when it mattered. If we had got that final wicket at Scarborough we would have gone top and definitely wouldn't have been relegated. Not getting that wicket and then a couple of poor performances saw us relegated, but we were so close to success."
Coming off the back of a season that was so near, yet so far from being perfect, how do Kent ensure they do not repeat the same mistakes in the new season? According to Jones, mental strength will be key.
"We've spoken a lot about about the need for the batters to score regularly and get big hundreds and double-hundreds," he says, reflecting on a season in which six players, including himself, Joe Denly and Rob Key averaged more than 30 - yet only one scored more than 900 Championship runs.
"Guys must take responsibility. Last year we had so much batting but maybe everyone relied on each other rather than taking responsibility.
"It can actually be to your detriment when you bat down to 10 or 11, you can think that if you don't score runs one of the next guys will."
Collective responsibility is a key concept in a small squad that features some interesting additions for the new campaign.
England Under-19 batsman Sam Northeast has delayed going to university to try establish himself in the side, Rob Ferley has returned from Nottinghamshire to bolster the spin department and James Hockley returns to the county seven years after being released. In the interim he has qualified as a teacher, while Jones has moved from second XI keeper to Ashes winner.
Speaking of the Ashes, there is a slightly more controversial arrival in Australia seamer Stuart Clark, though Kent insist they have done nothing wrong in signing a player who will be playing against England later in the summer.
"Ultimately we've got to think of Kent and if we hadn't signed him someone else would have," states Jones.
"The ECB (England & Wales Cricket Board) have been a bit naïve.
"They can sit in their headquarters and have a go at us, but we we have to look at what's best for Kent.
"You could speak to all the other 17 counties and - if they needed a bowler - they would all have someone like Stuart Clark on their wish list.
"Having played in an Ashes, I can understand why people are not happy with it, but it's the way of the world unfortunately."
Jones also points out that, by way of compensation, Kent have provided a steady supply line to the England set-up - five or six of the current squad are there or thereabouts.
He is convinced that opener Denly should have been playing in England's winter one-day series - although he has been named in England's provisional 30-man squad for this summer's World Twenty20 tournament.
"He is young, plays with freedom and hits the ball a long way. He is exactly what England need up top," Jones said.
Improve your wicketkeeping skills with Geraint Jones
Jones still harbours hopes of returning to the England set-up, though admits all he can do is play well for Kent to nudge the selectors. A more pressing concern is helping Kent fulfil their potential.
"We feel we are good enough to be playing in the First Division and winning it, but we can't naively think we can pitch up and win games this year, there are some good sides," he adds.
"I hope the supporters don't think it's a given we will get promoted, but we will be trying our hardest.
"We also want to continue our one-day success. We want to be part of another Twenty20 finals day and the Pro40 league is something we can win."
However, success could be a double-edged sword, as early-season form could see several players getting England calls. Should that happen, the county might struggle to maintain domestic form.
"If players are picked for England it shows the club is moving in the right direction," says Jones.
"In the last few years, we've had six or seven involved in the national set-up. It shows the success of what Kent are doing as a club."
Quite how successful Kent have been in recent years is perhaps open to debate, what is not is that the county has plenty to be positive about.
This interview was conducted and published before the announcement on 11 April that Stuart Clark had been called into the Australia one-day squad, ruling him out of contention for Kent.
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