Peate, Peel and Briggs, for that matter - and they were generally inconclusive. ‘Charlie’ Blythe loved playing his violin and his artistic, imaginative temperament meant that he ultimately found cricket a strain at the highest level but more than 2,500 first-class wickets at 16.80, 100 in Tests, are telling statistics. At Canterbury in 1900 he took six for 40 and five for 32 in Lancashire’s innings of 152 and 82 for eight, numbering Ward, Johnny Tyldesley and MacLaren among his victims. Kent had discovered a gem and Blythe would enjoy many more days of success at the St Lawrence ground, notably nine for 67 in the Essex first innings on August Bank Holiday Monday 1903. Johnny Douglas hit back for Essex with five for 63 but Kent won by ten wickets. By nowKent had appointed a manager, Tom Pawley, who, under the jurisdiction of the Canterbury Week sub-committee, was responsible for organising the Week. Canterbury was the perfect setting for Kent’s charge to the title in 1906. The weather was almost perfect and there were record attendances on four of the days. Burnup, Blaker and Marshammade hundreds in a total of 568 against Sussex and the rate of 100 runs an hour was maintained in the second match of the Week against Lancashire, both games being won by an innings. A year later Kent won by an innings at Hove, running up a big score and then turning Fielder and Blythe loose on a rain-affected pitch. They fielded nine amateurs at Canterbury in 1907 but it was a Sussex pro Robert Relf who had most cause to remember the match. He was unbeaten with 67 in the first innings and made 210 in his team’s second attempt. Kent were outstanding in 1909, winning 18, ten by an innings, of their 30 matches and losing only two. Middlesex, their latest holiday opponents, were caught in the whirlwind. They were routed at Canterbury in 1909 and at Lord’s in the Whitsun game of 1910, Dillon, Woolley and Day made hundreds. Kent needed only 40 minutes on Wednesday morning to complete an innings victory. Fortune favoured them at Canterbury: 393 for seven on the Monday and then rain in the night altering the nature of the pitch to such an extent that another innings success was recorded, en route to another title. Kent then took part in a remarkable match at Southampton in the 1911 Whitsun. Hardinge made two hundreds and Kent, who did not enforce the follow on, set Hampshire an unlikely 567 to win. Charles Fry, now playing for Hampshire after taking over the training ship Mercury at Hamble on Southampton Water, made 104, Philip Mead got 73 and Hampshire finished on 463 for eight, Remnant and Newman sharing an unbroken partnership of 105 for the ninth wicket. The three days produced 1,446 runs. Fry’s appearances for Hampshire may have been spasmodic but he entertained the holiday crowds: 123 and 112 in the Canterbury heat of 1911 were followed by 143 at Southampton in 1912 when he shared a partnership of 246 for the third wicket with Mead, who made 106. Only the two wicket-keepers did not bowl in another high-scoring game. Fry, however, was not particularly popular at Canterbury. During Hampshire’s second innings of the 1911 game he showed his displeasure when Blythe, with Kent badly needing a breakthrough, tossed the ball up to him. Fry effectively accused him of cheating by throwing the ball up into the sun. The crowd booed and Lord Harris had to get involved before the row fizzled out. Kent treated their followers to a variety of holiday opponents between 1894 and 1914 - Warwickshire 1894 and 1895, Lancashire 1896 to 1900, Essex 1901 to 1905, Sussex 1906 to 1908, Middlesex 1909 and 1910 and Hampshire 1911 and 1912. They performed a double over Sussex in 1913 but had to be satisfied with a End of the Golden Era 56