MATCH PREVIEW: Kent Spitfires v Lancashire, Metro Bank One-Day Cup
Kent Spitfires v Lancashire
Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Group B
Sunday August 17, 2025, 11am
The Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham
Different competition, different venue, but this is a meeting of the two counties who will face each other again at Emirates Old Trafford in next month’s Vitality Blast quarter-final.
Lancashire and Kent have both enjoyed most of this season’s success in the Blast.
Kent actually sit bottom of both the Rothesay County Championship Division Two table and Group B in the One-Day Cup. They have lost all three of their games so far in 50-over cricket, against Sussex, Durham and, most recently, Warwickshire.
The latter came against the Bears at Rugby School on Wednesday, by 79 runs. They were bowled out for 204 in reply to the home side’s 283-9 total.
Lancashire are better off but still with plenty of work to do to reach the top three places for knockout qualification. They have won one and lost two added to an opening day washout against Northamptonshire at Sedbergh.
If they are to reach the knockouts, this is a game they realistically have to win having been beaten by Sussex in a thriller at Hove last night. The hosts chased down 339 to win by just the one wicket.
Earlier, in Lancashire’s 338-7, Michael Jones (82), George Bell (66) and Harry Singh (74) all impressed. Charlie Barnard then claimed a career best four wickets with his left-arm spin. But it wasn’t enough.
Opposition
Kent won this competition in 2022, beating Lancashire in the final at Trent Bridge.
However, they haven’t reached the knockout stages since then and are up against it this season too.
The Spitfires, coached by former England white-ball captain Adam Hollioake, have appointed two skippers for this competition, wicketkeeper-batter Harry Finch and all-rounder Grant Stewart.
Finch captained in the first two games with Stewart injured. Now, the latter has taken over and will lead the side in South East London.
They haven’t been too badly affected by Hundred availability, but they desperately need a win to give themselves any chance of qualifying for the knockouts.
Opposition player to watch
Teenaged all-rounder Ekansh Singh is Kent’s leading run-scorer in the early stages of this competition, his haul of 135 including scores of 48, 45 and 42 in the middle order.
Kent-born Singh, 19, had made his first-team debut in the Rothesay County Championship in early May and has played three times in Division Two with a best score of 49.
Educated at Durham University, he also bowls seamers.
Last month, Singh posted scores of 117 and 59 batting at number seven for England’s Under 19s in two Youth Test Matches against India, both of which finished in draws.
Jack Leaning was Kent’s leading run-scorer in last season’s competition with 262 and former Lancashire leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson their leading wicket-taker with 12.
Previous meeting
Kent beat Lancashire by five runs at Blackpool in last year’s group stage, in late July.
Harry Finch top-scored with a middle-order 48 in the visiting side’s 209 all out having been inserted.
Chris Green struck three times and Will Williams and Charlie Barnard twice apiece. Left-arm seamer Ollie Sutton debuted and claimed one wicket in his first three balls but sustained a season-ending side injury.
He’s back fit again and has every chance of playing tomorrow having done so in the first half of the campaign.
In reply, captain Keaton Jennings batted through for a superb 107 not out, but wickets fell all too often.
Even still, Lancashire looked likely winners when they advanced to 204-8 late in the 49th over, needing only six more to win.
However, Barnard was run out with the last ball of the penultimate and injured Sutton bowled by Matthew Parkinson with the second ball of the last over, slipping to 204 all out.
Parkinson finished with 4-30.
What they said
Lancashire have signed three young players to their maiden professional contracts recently, and interim head coach Steven Croft has been speaking about their capabilities.
All-rounders Luke Hands and Arav Shetty and wicketkeeper-batter Joe Moores have all signed short-term deals with the county.
Hands and Shetty have featured in the early stages of the ongoing One-Day Cup, while Moores awaits his chance.
Croft has given the lowdown on all three players.
Starting with 16-year-old Prestonian Hands, Croft said: “He’s obviously batted down the order in this competition, but in his own age-group he’s a genuine all-rounder.
“He can bat in that number four or five position and obviously bowls a pretty fast ball as well.
“He's got a good head on his shoulders, great fielder, so hopefully he's going to be involved a bit more. He's someone who's been involved in EPP (Emerging Players Programme) and the Academy, and he’s a great prospect.”
Moores is also 16 and is the nephew of former Lancashire Championship-winning coach Peter.
“He's certainly worked with England in the 19s and our Academy the last few years,” said Croft. “He’s a very talented wicketkeeper-batsman.
“We’ve got a few at the club. But as you could probably see, from the Sedbergh game (against Cheshire), he's awesome in the field as well.”
Being an all-rounder who bowls spin, Shetty - aged 21 - is the closest to Croft’s skillset.
He added: “Arav’s a genuine all-rounder also.
“Good options with off-spin. He can bowl in the powerplay in T20, he can bowl in the middle. Very, very talented batsman as well, very easy on the eye, and he's put some great numbers up.
“Not just this year in the second team for us, but for SACA (South Asian Cricket Academy) as well.
“It’s been great to see him out there and get the chance he deserves.”
How’s Stat!
Against Kent at Blackpool last year, Keaton Jennings carried his bat for 107 not out off 140 balls as the Red Rose fell just short of chasing 205.
He’s the only Lancashire batter to ever carry his bat through an all out List A innings.