Kent Spitfires v Surrey Lions

COUNTY captain David Fulton has stood down from the side to face Surrey in Kent's opening Twenty20 tie in Beckenham tonight.

Fulton, much maligned for moving aside and appointing Andrew Symonds as last season’s Spitfires’ Twenty20 skipper, this time handed the reigns to Gravesend-born Matthew Walker.

Walker, a former England Under-19 skipper, is the club’s official vice-captain for 2005 but he has not been appointed for the entire Twenty20 series.

Having learnt lessons from last season’s cup debacles, Fulton says he will play a full part in the pre-planning of each of Kent’s eight Southern Group qualifiers and has not ruled out playing.

* Listen to Kent club captain David Fulton talking to kmfm sports editor Simon Watts ahead of the match...