Broadstairs got their first season in the Championship off to a flying start with a 17-run win away to Dartford CC.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors posted a competitive total of 202, with Nathan Fox (55), Matthew Frewin (55) and new overseas Milind Mondal (52) forming the bedrock of the innings as the only batters to reach double figures.
In reply, Dartford started relatively slowly with tight bowling from openers Bradley Ellison and Geroge Kidd. At the drinks break the score was 86-3 and the outcome seemed to be in Broadstairs’ hands.
However, some resolute middle-order batting brought the hosts back into contention and with 10 overs to go and 57 runs left to score with 5 wickets remaining, the match was finely balanced. The turning point came when Ben Chapelhow (37) was bowled attempting a reverse sweep to Chris Kidd’s final ball of his allocated 10 overs. From that point, Milind Mondal (3-30) and Geroge Kidd (1-28) put the squeeze on the tail and in the end, they fell 17 runs short of the target with an over remaining.
The win resulted from a strong overall team performance with additional wickets claimed by Oliver Frewin (1-20 and a run out) and run outs by Matthew Frewin, Jake Benfield
This match was a good test of Broadstairs’ ability to play at the higher level of the Championship and as they prepare for next week’s home match against Beckenham CC, they can derive a great deal of confidence from this win.
Broadstairs 202 all out (49.1) Nathan Fox 55, Matthew Frewin 55, Milind Mondal 52
Dartford 185 all out (49) Milind Mondal 3-30
Broadstairs won by 17 runs