The Spitfire: new independent home for Kent cricket coverage launching in 2026
Attention Kent fans: a new media outlet dedicated to independent coverage of your club is coming in 2026.
The Spitfire will be run by Fred Atkins, a local journalist who has followed Kent since the early 90s and has covered them for the ECB and Wisden since 2021.
Expect expert storytelling, colourful matchday writing, insightful analysis and in-depth interviews, as The Spitfire takes coverage of the club to new heights.
"We're trying to do something new for county cricket and offer the kind of coverage readers won't find elsewhere."Fred Atkins, The Spitfire
Early interest opens on December 19, and everyone who signs up to the site's mailing list prior to launch will get a special discount on membership.
The site, which offers a modern reader experience and a commitment to zero intrusive advertising, will be up and running from March 1.
Atkins said: “I'm delighted to be linking up with CounterPress. We're trying to do something new for county cricket and offer the kind of coverage readers won't find elsewhere.”
The Spitfire is the eighth county cricket outlet to be confirmed on CounterPress ahead of the 2026 season, as part of a wide-reaching project designed to revitalise written digital coverage of our domestic summer sport.
Other outlets announced so far include The Hawk (Hampshire), The Rey (Surrey), Lanky Lanky (Lancashire), Up The Middle (Middlesex), From The Sea End (Sussex), Cider Press (Somerset) and The Chester (Durham). Further sites are still to be released.
CounterPress co-founder Sam Morshead said: “Fred has raw energy and enthusiasm for local sports journalism, and that can only bode well for the fans of Kent.
“The Spitfire promises to be the go-to place for proper cricket writing on events at Canterbury and Beckenham.”
Atkins has also covered the England cricket team for the Associated Press and has written or co-written several books, including Monty Panesar's autobiography and The Spitfire Diaries: Journal of a Plague Season, a classic account of Kent's Lockdown-affected 2021 campaign.
Be a part of change.
Sam Morshead
Co Founder
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