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Sean Dickson hopes he will get another chance to beat Kent’s highest ever score after posting a record-breaking triple century.
Kent’s history books were rewritten by an astonishing batting performance in this week’s Specsavers County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Beckenham.
South African-born Dickson, 25, whose mother Pat grew up just round the corner from the County Ground in Beckenham, wrote his name into Kent folklore with an astonishing knock of 318, becoming on the second player in the club’s 147-year history to record a triple century.
He eventually fell just 14 runs short of the highest ever total by a Kent batsman - Bill Ashdown’s 332 against Essex at Brentwood in 1934 - and 26 only shy of the record score posted during a game in the county, set by W G Grace for the MCC against Kent at Canterbury in 1876.
Dickson admitted: “It’s just overwhelming at this stage of my career. This is only my second full season in First Class cricket and I don’t know how I did that. I’m excited to see what is to come now, and hopefully I can get the chance to beat Kent’s highest score another time.”
He added: “I scored a hundred for my club (Lordswood) in the Kent League on Sunday so it’s been a magical week. It might all hit me in a week or so’s time, but it’s great to get a triple hundred and it was more a mental thing than a physical fitness situation out there.
“My mum came over from South Africa last year and showed me the street near here in Beckenham that she lived in as a child, and the school she went to.
“She dropped me a text on Monday night when she saw I had scored a double hundred saying she had burst into tears when hearing the news. So it’s brilliant to do this here on this ground.”
During his knock, Dickson surpassed his highest ever First Class score of 207, posted Kent’s highest ever total against Northants - beating Frank Woolley’s 217 in 1926 - beat coach Matt Walker’s post-war record of 275 not out against Somerset in 1996 and when he reached 295 just after lunch on Tuesday he passed Les Ames for the third highest score in club history.
The highest home score by a Kent batsman also belonged to Ashdown until Dickson overhauled his unbeaten 305 against Derbyshire at Dover in 1935.
Dickson’s knock was the highest score in the County Championship since Kevin Pietersen scored 355 in May 2015 yes remarkably it was just his third First Class century, with one of them a double century and now a triple century to boot.
Kent eventually declared on 701-7 - the second highest First Class score in their history.
Dickson and in-form Joe Denly (182) also shared the highest partnership for any wicket in the club’s storied history, putting on 382 runs for the second wicket in a 72.4-over onslaught across Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
The pair surpassed the previous best second wicket stand of 366 - set by Simon Hinks and Neil Taylor against Middlesex in 1990 - before topping the overall record of 368 put on by Aravinda De Silva and Graham Cowdrey for the fourth wicket against Derbyshire at the Mote in 1995.