Kent and the London Borough of Bromley have announced an agreement that secures the staging of county cricket at Beckenham for the next three years. This year's programme will see the launch of Kent's Twenty20 campaign with matches against Essex, Hampshire and Middlesex on June 27, July2 and 4.

"There is now a commitment by the County Club to play at Beckenham over the next three years," Paul Millman, Kent's cheief executive, said. "The agreement is, however, a wide-ranging one. We plan to use the ground as a centre for sports development in the area. We will be running programmes throughout the year with the aim of attracting youngsters into sport, and cricket in particular. Hopefully, as a result, we will be producing Kent cricketers of the future.

"As well as running the activity programmes we will be working with the ground's owners, Leander Sports and Leisure Limited, to develop the facilities over the three-year period. Both Leander and the county club are now committed to turn the ground into a dynamic centre for sport in the area."