Supporters will be back cheering on Kent today (Thursday) and their captain is also returning.

Just under 1,000 Kent members will be at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence when Kent take on Glamorgan in the County Championship.

It’s the first time since September 2019 that a crowd has been in the Canterbury ground to watch a Kent game. They will be hoping the county's fortunes improve as they are still looking for a first win this season.

Kent are boosted by the return of their captain Sam Billings for the match.

He returned to the UK after the Indian Premier League season was suspended because of Covid and the England international plays his first match of the summer for the county, having completed a period of quarantine.

Joe Denly is not included for personal reasons while there are injuries for a number of other players including Tim Groenewald, Heino Kuhn, Matt Milnes, Harry Podmore, Imran Qayyum and Grant Stewart - who has just been selected for Italy’s T20 squad.

Tickets for Kent games are being allocated through a ballot and over 6,000 tickets have been claimed by members and season ticket holders for forthcoming fixtures. 950 members will be in attendance during each day of their Championship match.

It’s been a busy time behind the scenes for Kent in the build-up to the return of fans and chief exec Simon Storey thanked their members for showing patience.

He said: “The administration team have been working incredibly hard to facilitate a safe return of crowds and allow as many members as possible to claim their tickets to watch cricket at the earliest opportunity.

“Covid-19 continues to throw up significant challenges for the club and the uncertainty around the Indian variant is the latest hurdle to face us.

“Our two biggest challenges are the small number of covered stands at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence and limited parking. It is important to understand that we have to operate a bio-secure stadium for the participants and we are governed by elite sport guidelines.

"We have to make specific arrangements for managing large crowds and have been working with local Public Health officials, the Sports Ground Safety Association and the Safety Advisory Group at Canterbury City Council, which includes representatives of the local emergency services.

“I would like to reassure members that everyone is working hard to make things as safe and comfortable as possible so that we are ready to welcome Members back to The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in these extraordinary times.”

Kent are currently bottom of their group with three defeats and three draws from their opening six Championship games.

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