Joe Denly speaks exclusively to SPIN

First game for Kent It was quite memorable, actually. It was against Oxford Univerisity. I opened with Michael Carberry and got a golden duck and two overs later they came off for rain and we never went out for three more days. Not a great start…

First 100 I was 12. It was for my school in a 20-over game, which was all we used to play. I think I got 125 not out. My dad bought me a book to record every 100 I got from there on in. Have I still got the book? It’s at home somewhere. Obviously, I haven’t kept it right up to date. I got bored of it after I got to 17 or 18 hundreds about four or five years ago.

I went to Chaucer Technology School, a local school, nothing posh. Cricket wasn’t the big thing and not a lot of people played it. So, yes, I might have been the best player but that wasn’t saying all that much because we played on a council field with an artificial mat. But I always played down at my local club Whitstable.

First club game I started out as aa seam bowler who came in at six or seven. I started in the third team when I was about 13 and made my way into the first team when I was about 15.

First first class wicket Mark Ramprakash. did I bamboozle him with my leg-spin? Not really, no: they needed about 20 to win with not long left and was trying to get on with it he ran down the wicket at me and I managed to turn one and got him stumped. I’ve got Stuart Law out as well. Why don’t I bowl more often? Ask Keysy! I’m constantly asking him if I can bowl. I bowl in the nets quite a bit. I’m waiting for my opportunity. If I keep working at it and get some opportunities, I think I could definitely put myself in that all-rounders’ bracket.

First overseas player you played with at Kent Andrew Symonds, in my first Kent T20 game. Interesting. I got on quite well with him, actually. I was very young and pretty shy, just coming into the side. My first game was a T20 game against Middlesex at Maidstone and he got stuck into me as the Australians do. He was a good laugh and great to play in the same side as him and see how he goes about his stuff. I didn’t get a chance to bat with him in that game, but he hit 120 – in a Twenty20 game – so it was pretty extraordinary.

Last Kent overseas player played with Wayne Parnell. Extraordinarily, he’s only 20… he’s full of life, good to have in the changing room and everyone’s tipping him to have a bright future. People are already comparing him to Wasim Akram.

First proper job I used to work on a Saturday evening at my local fish and chip shop in Whitstable, washing up in the kitchens. Not brilliant. I was just stuck right at the back where the freezer was, so it was absolutely freezing. I did a paper round when I was very young then I did two or three weeks working in the offices for customs, basically splitting bits of paper and sorting out files. I wouldn’t have a clue what I’d do if I didn’t have cricket.

First game in England colours England under-19s v Bangladesh in 2004, when I was about 17. I opened with Alastair Cook. I missed out on all the under-15s and under-16s. Ravi Bopara was in there, James Hildreth, all these guys who had really dominated age-group cricket and were really thought of very highly. They were tipped to he up there even from a very young age so I was pretty nervous going in. I don’t think I scored a run in the whole series – my top score was a 50 in one of the last one-day games.

First CD bought The Backstreet Boyz. Or possibly Mark Morrison.

Last CD bought Kings of Leon

Last celebrity met Tom Chaplin, the lead singer from Keane. He’s on my phone. Him and his brother are linking up business wise with Dave Fulton, who is my agent. So I suppose Keane are my agents, in a way. So that could be quite good.

This interview appeared originally in Kent Cricket, the official programme of Kent CCC, produced by SPIN magazine