A significant milestone in the history of MCC cricket will be reached on November 28 when former captain-coach Andrew Kent plays his 300th First XI match for the club.
Kent, who made his first grade debut for the Demons back in 1999, is just weeks away from overhauling wicketkeeper Robert Templeton (302 matches), but will have to play on next season to eclipse Steven McCooke’s record of 314 matches.
The right-handed batsmen, one of only seven players to score more than 10,000 runs in Victorian District/Premier cricket history, was MCC captain-coach for five seasons before slipping back into the role of senior player this season.
And there’s no sign of waning form from “Kenty” as he approaches the milestone. He has scored 342 runs at 48.86 this season, with four half centuries from seven innings.
Premier Cricket season update
The MCC’s four men’s and two women’s teams have made steady progress early in their respective club cricket seasons, with several encouraging results and individual performances.
After six rounds of men’s Premier Cricket, the first and second elevens were in the top two spots on the ladder, each with one loss, while the third and fourth elevens need to pick up the pace after a slow start to the season.
In the chase for the coveted JA Seitz Club Championship, awarded to the best-performed club across the four men’s grades, the MCC held a narrow lead after six rounds.
In the women’s competition, a packed leaderboard sees our First XI just outside the top four, while the Second XI is in third spot, with four wins from five matches. Our newest women’s team, competing in the Women’s Community Cricket Competition, has won one of its first four matches.
The men’s First XI has been well led by new captain Michael Hill (292 runs at 44.40), while the wickets have been shared between leg-spinner Brenton McDonald (14) and pacemen Chris Tremain (12) and Jackson Coleman (11).
An early season highlight was the innings by young First XI batsman Seb Gotch against Camberwell Magpies on Derby Day at the Albert Ground. Striding to the crease at a precarious 2/3, he peeled off 173 from 168 balls to steer the Demons to a formidable 5/380 from just 62 overs.
It was the highest First XI individual score since Andrew McDonald’s 201 in 2005. Gotch was ably supported by that man Kent (90) and young gun Sam Harper, who continued to show his prodigious talent by smashing 91 off 60 balls.
In the women’s First XI, Natalie Plane has claimed nine wickets in five matches, while New Zealand international Hayley Jensen, who has relocated to Melbourne, became the first MCC female cricketer to represent Victoria in October.
In the Club XI competition, MCC Blues are undefeated after five rounds, while the MCC Reds have yet to register a win.
