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Kent opener Ben Compton doesn't intend to take 'baggage' into Royal London One-Day Cup final against Lancashire

Kent’s Ben Compton doesn’t intend to take any “baggage” into their Royal London One-Day Cup final.

A dramatic two-wicket victory against Saturday’s final opponents Lancashire at The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury, booked Kent's place in the knock-out stages before wins against Leicestershire and Hampshire.

Kent opener Ben Compton. Picture: Mark Westley
Kent opener Ben Compton. Picture: Mark Westley

But ahead of the Trent Bridge clash, opener Compton said: “I don’t tend to keep those things in mind.

“It’s nice to say ‘Yes we can beat them, we have shown we can beat them’ but the fact of the matter is it’s a completely new day.

“If you try to bring baggage - bad baggage from the past or good baggage - I don’t think that serves you well. You have just got to play with what’s in front of you.”

While the Spitfires will not be adding to their squad for the final despite the players who played in The Hundred being available, Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple looks set to go with his strongest side.

But Compton - the cousin of former England opener Nick and grandson of the great Denis Compton - is not concerned by that.

“I think we have some seriously experienced cricketers," he said. "We have got Darren Stevens, Joe Denly and Alex Blake has played a lot of cricket.

“Even Ollie Robinson has played a lot of cricket for his age. There’s a lot of experience there and, with that, comes a calmness.

“You just have to play what’s in front of you. It doesn’t matter what the attack or the batting line-up is, you have got to try and deliver your skills.”

The match will see Compton, who joined Kent ahead of this season from Nottinghamshire, return to his old ground alongside on-loan Spitfires all-rounder Joey Evison.

Compton said: “It’s my old stomping ground and a lovely place to play cricket.

“It’s a very good place for one-day cricket and I’m sure the boys will enjoy it. You couldn’t ask for a better scene really.

“It’s against Lancashire, too, a team we enjoy playing against - it’s always a bit of a contest and, hopefully, it’ll be a very good day out.”

While Compton has had a campaign of two halves in County Championship Division 1, starting superbly before a recent run of poor form, he has five half-centuries to his name in the Royal London Cup.

“I think I have been pretty consistent at the start. I’ve not got that big score of a hundred but I have given the team a decent platform most of the time which I’m happy about,” said Compton, of his form in the 50-over competition.

“I guess my role is to try and bat 35 or 40 overs to try and get between 80 and 100.

“That allows the rest of the team to play with relative freedom, they can go and express themselves. That’s the blueprint for us to get 300-plus.”

He has also been impressed by the form of Ollie Robinson - whose record-breaking knock of 206 not out ensured Kent won their opening Royal London One-Day Cup encounter at Worcestershire - while he has been impressed with middle-order batsman Harry Finch’s contributions too.

On 23-year-old Robinson, Compton said: “He’s played beautifully. It’s just been a joy to watch him bat in such a rich vein of form, such clean ball-striking. It’s really fun.

“Sometimes, you wish you could bat like that! But he’s played beautifully and that double hundred at Worcestershire was a special knock.”

Compton says anticipation is building nicely ahead of the final against Lancashire.

He said: “Naturally, you are very excited for a final. That brings about its own enjoyment and nerves, and all the rest of it.

“We’ve felt very calm as a unit since we got on a bit of a winning streak. We just had a sort of ‘Nothing to lose’ mantra - not in a reckless way but in a very calm and collected way. A ‘This is what we have to do and this is how we are going to do it’ mentality.

“So everyone is very excited. It’s another game of cricket and we just have to do our thing, really. We will play hard and leave everything out there.”

Picking up silverware would, of course, be a fine way for Compton to finish his first summer with Kent.

But he also says his team-mates will be eager to send departing all-rounder Darren Stevens out on a high.

He said: “I think a lot of the team in the back of their minds will be thinking about trying to send Darren off in the best way possible.

“He’s been such a special player for us. I think we’ve come a long way and so we want to do it for him and do it for Kent.

“It’s been an up-and-down year for us as a whole group - in the four-day and T20s - but hopefully, the 50-over cup can be a real highlight for the year.”

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