He was primarily a batsman, but could also deploy effective leg spin, and topped the English first-class bowling averages in 1994 with 13.30, albeit with only thirteen wickets to his name.
[1] He remained at the club for several more years, until clashes with players and the county's committee resulted in his leaving for Gloucestershire in 1999.
He was disappointed[citation needed] not to be offered a renewal of his contract after the 2002 season, and retired from first-class cricket, although he continued to play in regional league competitions.
In one-day cricket, according to former Gloucestershire coach John Bracewell, Barnett played a key role in a very successful side: winning a "double double" in 1999 and 2000 (both the Benson and Hedges Cup and the C&G Trophy, in both seasons), while also pocketing the Sunday League in 2000 ... Key to all this was veteran opener Kim Barnett, who Bracewell described as "like Duckworth-Lewis before it was invented".
It was Barnett who would first calculate the par score, then systematically plot the road map to that total.