Sam Billings says he hasn’t got time to enjoy being handed the gloves for Kent Spitfires’ t20 campaign as he knows Geraint Jones will be ‘raring’ to get his place back.

Billings was named as wicketkeeper for Friday’s opener in the Friends Life t20 South Division against Middlesex after skipper James Tredwell said Kent needed to put their faith in the future, with Jones, who turns 37 this month, left out.

The 22-year-old allowed 13 byes on his debut, mainly while standing up to medium-pace but battled back with a more assured performance against Surrey on Sunday.
He said: “Obviously it’s your first game, so you want to do well and in tricky conditions, you’re going to feel (the pressure) a bit.

“The older lads helped me out and I came back in the second game and did well. I am learning from every game. I found it hard work the other night with the ball zipping around. It was disappointing, personally, for my first game with the gloves but I worked hard and thought I did well on Sunday.

“It’s just a matter of getting used to it, not putting too much pressure on myself and sticking to the basics.

“This is something I’ve been working towards but there’s no time to dwell on it. I just have to get the job done and get on with it. There’s no time to smile, just keep getting the job done.

“Geraint is brilliant, a top bloke. Nothing’s different, it’s just one of those things. I have to get the job done otherwise he’ll be there raring to get the job done.”