Kent captain stands down

Megan Belt has stood down as Kent Women’s captain at the end of the season.

Margate-born off-spinner Belt, who turns 29 next week, quits, owing largely to the challenges of balancing her personal life with her cricket commitments as a non-professional player.

Belt, who works as a teacher at Kent College, said: “I feel extremely honoured to have captained Kent, a club that means so much to me having played here for so many years.

“Together, we have been through a lot in such a short space of time and our results this season shows that we’re on an upwards trajectory and in a place where I feel that we’re ready for new ideas and leadership to take us to the next level.

“It’s extremely difficult for us all to balance our county cricket commitments with work, our personal lives and more as we’re currently not professional in Tier 2 - with a lot of personal milestones coming up for me. This feels like a natural end to my time as captain.

“I’m looking forward to focusing a bit more on my own game and contributing to on-field success in 2027, as well as supporting our new captain in any way I can.”

Home-grown player Belt will still be available for Kent selection in the 2027 season.

She was named as the Horses’ first captain in the new stage of women’s county cricket in the winter of 2023, having skippered Kent Women to the Women’s London Championship in 2021.

In total, Belt captained the Horses on 60 occasions, guiding Kent Women to semi-final berths in both the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and Vitality Blast this summer.

Head of women’s cricket Lucy Arman thanked Belt for her service, skippering her home county, as she revealed Belt’s successor will be a player from within James Hockley’s existing squad.

She said: “Megan has been an outstanding leader during a period of exponential change in the make-up of women’s domestic cricket in England and Wales.

“Her dedication as our leader has been second to none, and I’m so proud of how she has developed both as a leader and a player.

“We fully support her decision and will still be utilising her experience and knowledge in the dressing room ahead of the 2027 season.

“All of us thank Megan for all of her hard work, both on and off the field, which has helped get Kent Women’s profile to where it is now.

“We know that the standards and culture that she has helped develop will continue under the next captain, who will be appointed from within our player group.”