Matt Parkinson held his nerve at the death for Kent Spitfires against former club Lancashire to secure a pulsating five-run Metro Bank One-Day Cup win in Blackpool on Sunday.

Leg-spinner Parkinson, who earlier had played a useful hand with the bat, took two important late wickets.

It had seemed captain Keaton Jennings’ third century at Stanley Park this year would enable Lancashire to get home but Kent battled ferociously hard to defend 209 on a tricky wicket and South African overseas all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel’s 3-26 off nine overs was another magnificent effort.

Jennings finished unbeaten on 107 off 140 balls with 13 fours and a six.

The game also saw 16-year-old Rocky Flintoff - son of legendary England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff - become the youngest debutant in Lancashire’s 160-year history.

Wicketkeeper Harry Finch had top scored for the visitors with 48 but Jennings’ one-man effort revived his side after they had been struggling on 96-5 in the 30th over.

Kent - still without batsmen Ben Compton, Joe Denly and Marcus O’Riordan in the side - managed only 46 runs in their 10 powerplay overs for the loss of Swanepoel, who was caught at cover for 19 off Will Williams (2-41).

Joey Evison and Ekansh Singh maintained the modest rate of progress until the 15th over when Evison was called for a single to mid-on by teenager Singh and was run-out for 22 by Jack Blatherwick’s accurate throw.

Debutant Ollie Sutton (1-1) then took a wicket with his first legal delivery for Lancashire when Singh attempted to cut a very wide delivery but only skied a catch to George Lavelle at point.

However, Sutton’s joy was short-lived and, just two balls later, he had to leave the field with a side strain.

Sutton’s replacement, Josh Bohannon, bowled 5.3 tidy overs of off-spin for 24 runs but left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard (2-47) took the next wicket - his first in senior cricket - when Jaydn Denly lofted him to long-on. He departed for 32 that had included five fours.

Placed on 100-3 at the halfway point, Kent searched in vain for the substantial partnership that is so often concomitant with acceleration.

Having made 24, Jack Leaning followed Denly’s example in lofting Barnard straight to Chris Green, who then removed Charlie Stobo, caught-and-bowled for five.

Grant Stewart played on to Williams for nine and it was left to Finch and Parkinson to put on 33 in nine overs before Parkinson was run-out for 19 and the innings ended in the 49th over when Green (3-38) had Finch caught by Lavelle at deep midwicket for 48 and Nathan Gilchrist was caught by Jennings at point for two.

Lancashire’s pursuit of 210 began poorly when Swanepoel (3-26) removed both wicketkeeper George Bell, caught at slip by Stobo for six, and Bohannon - brilliantly pouched by a diving Evison at cover for five - inside the first eight overs.

Jennings and Balderson repaired the damage with a stand of 41 in 11 overs but any thought Lancashire’s pursuit would be straightforward were removed when Stobo (2-30) removed them both in the space of three balls to leave the home side on 65-4 after 19 overs.

The Lancashire skipper then put on 31 in 63 balls with Flintoff and then 24 with Green before the Australian was leg before to Parkinson (4-30) for five.

Jennings was then given stout support from Jack Blatherwick, who lifted Kent skipper Leaning (0-43) for two huge sixes, and the home side needed 47 off the final 10 overs of a compelling contest.

Swanepoel was recalled and almost immediately caught-and-bowled Blatherwick for 25 and Parkinson had Williams caught behind with 22 still needed off 26 balls.

Lancashire needed 15 off two overs and Jennings then reached his century with a straight drive to reduce the target to 10 runs off 10 balls - only after an instinctive stop by Parkinson left Jennings, crucially, off strike for another critical period as he parried a ball which had been nailed back at him.

Barnard was brilliantly run-out for one by Stobo and Sutton - who was clearly struggling still with the injury he had sustained in the field - was bowled by the second ball of the final over to spark joyous scenes among the visitors, as they responded after their campaign-opening three-wicket defeat to Somerset on Friday.

Parkinson said: “‘Buzzing’ is the only word I can use to describe the dressing room at the moment.

“It’s been a tough few weeks for the lads. The Championship season is not going great and the T20 was the big hope to turn our season around - and that didn’t go to plan.

“To lose a close one at Taunton was gutting but the lads have stuck at it and the environment is fantastic, led very well by Mark Dekker so, to get two points today, that was fantastic.”

Kent will play Hampshire in their first One-Day Cup home game this season at Beckenham on Wednesday.