Lords of the manor

Ryan ten Doeschate fears Kent's batting line-up but is still confident of victory

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After hearing some Essex heroes of yesteryear talk about how special a Lord's final is, Ryan ten Doeschate is looking forward to experiencing it first hand.

The Dutch all-rounder has played an integral part in Essex’s run to the Friends Provident Trophy Final, no more so than in the previous round where he took 3-30 to dismantle Yorkshire.

That burst engineered an 87-run win which booked a meeting with Kent at the home of cricket on Saturday.

“I have heard from the older guys, like Ronnie Irani and Paul Grayson, just how wonderful a Lord's final is,” the 28-year-old told ecb.co.uk.

“It is a massive occasion but it won't be as special if you walk away in second place.”

Ten Doeschate enjoyed his previous visit to Lords in this competition – he hit 97 in a group game against Middlesex albeit in a losing cause – and a repeat of that knock would go some way to helping Essex get their hands on their first one-day trophy in 10 years.

Whilst not one of the star names in the Essex dressing room, ten Doeschate plays an important role in a team which includes Ravi Bopara and Graham Napier who have been grabbing the headlines this season.

Bopara has been in scintillating form this year, his double-hundred against Leicestershire was breathtaking, while Napier has exploded since he smashed a world record 16 maximums in an unbeaten 152 against Sussex.

However, there is more to Essex than just two batsmen and Kent will have to deal with Alastair Cook, James Foster, Mark Pettini and Grant Flower among others. Danish Kaneria’s bamboozling leg-spin must also be factored into Kent's plans.

Ten Doeschate celebrates a wicket in the semi-final win

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“We are confident,” he insisted. “We have produced some special one-day performances this year and have some exceptional one-day players. We don't carry anyone.

“Napes has been a revelation but Ravi and Danish have had good seasons. Our team is based around five bowlers but everyone has chipped in with the bat. We are also young and energetic in the field.”

But Kent have a formidable batting outfit. They boast the competition’s highest run-scorer this season - Martin van Jaarsveld has hit 602 runs at an astonishing average of 120.4 – the in-form Rob Key, young buck Joe Denly and the hard-hitting Justin Kemp.

Their bowling ranks are not short on quality either with new-ball pair Yasir Arafat and Azhar Mahmood being well-supported by Ryan McClaren, Robert Joseph and James Tredwell. Keeping wicket is Geraint Jones.

“It will be a tough game against Kent,” conceded ten Doeschate.“One of their strongest assets is that they bat all the way down.

"With other sides you get rid of one or two guys and you can slow things down. With Kent they have big hitters all the way down to eight.

“Arafat and Mahmood are a good opening partnership with the ball. They are an experienced team with lots of really good cricketers.”

But ten Doeschate is optimistic Essex can prevail.

“We have beaten them a few times this season,” he added. “I just hope we don't get over-awed by it. We have to look at it as just another game.”