Dan Stickels demonstrated his class by starring for Minster on Saturday in their big win over Bickley Park.
Stickels is in his first season at Minster, after spending a few years out of the game, and he showed what he’s capable of by hitting 125 off 89 balls in the Kent League Premier Division at Gilbert Hall.
More: Kent League Premier Division round-up
The former Kent 2nds player and well-travelled opening batter smashed 22 fours and two sixes on his way to a century, putting on 202 for the first wicket alongside captain David Masters (68).
Minster’s leading run scorer Kai Appleby added 71 not out off 46 balls to leave Bickley Park chasing a daunting total of 354-6. They were all out for 180.
Skipper Master said: “Dan had stopped playing but rang me last year and said he wanted to get back into it.
“He really wanted to play again. He didn’t know how he would be, but he came in during the winter, trained two or three times a week, really chucked himself into it.
“I am so pleased for him to get 125, it was unbelievable and he’s proved to be a really good addition for us.”
Appleby took his season tally to 286, with a 47.67 average and a 91.96 strike rate.
“He is a really talented cricketer,” added Masters. “In the last few years he’s been trying to find his way, the best place for him to bat and how he wants to bat, and he is doing what he does really well.”
Bickley Park made a strong start to their reply, the opening pair putting on 69, but James Speer (1-32) broke that partnership before Haider Zaidi started to pick up wickets, their talented spinner ending the day with a five-wicket haul.
“That was coming,” said Masters, following Zaidi’s five-fer.
“He’s a real talent and was in the Kent academy, going through their pathway. It hadn’t really been his wickets, there’s been a lot of moisture around, but you could see he was always going to do well. It’s nice for him being a new lad as well.
“They came out and had a go, they had to, but we were pretty confident, we held out nerve and bowled them out.
“Our seamers had been put under some pressure, which was good, to see how they came out of it. They know they have a bit more work to do.
“We know we have too much bowling for anyone to get near that but stranger things have happened. It is a good happy camp at the moment.”
The 174-run victory keeps Minster top, just ahead of St Lawrence & Highland Court.
Masters won’t get complacent though, with an away game against Canterbury this Saturday, a side with a mixed bag of results so far.
He said: “They are another team that if they turn up with a couple of their big players then they will make it hard for you.
“We have to be even stronger against those teams, a hard-working team.”
