WIZARD spinner Shane Warne wove his magic to inspire Hampshire's 22-run totesport League win over the misfiring Spitfires.

Looking to improve on Hampshire’s 146 all out, Kent were skittled out for 124 inside 36 overs to slip to their second Division 1 defeat inside three days.

Warne finished with three for 24 and Udal two for 21 as the hosts slipped out of title-race contention.

Yet Spitfires had got off to a flying start courtesy of openers Ed Smith and Michael Carberry who had 39 on the board inside seven overs.

Fresh from five consecutive one-day half-centuries Smith looked set for a sixth but, with his score on 27 from 30-balls, he clipped a slower ball from Dimitri Mascarenhas straight to short square leg.

In the very next over Michael Carberry’s penchant for driving proved his undoing as a leaden-footed flail outside off stump gave Billy Taylor his only wicket of the night.

The end of the fielding restrictions after 15 overs coincided with Warne’s introduction and within nine overs he and Shaun Udal had turned the game on its head.

With only his sixth ball Warne turned one away from his Aussie team-mate Andrew Symonds, brushed the outside edge and celebrated in style when Michael Clarke pulled off a one-handed catch at slip.

Next man Matthew Walker toe-ended an attempted sweep to silly point and, when David Fulton gave up his wicket to a first-ball bat-pad catch at in the same position, the alarm bells started to ring for Kent supporters.

The battle of the night was undoubtedly the contest between Kent’s 23-year-old rookie Alex Loudon and Warne.

Loudon read much the wrist spinner could bowl at him and used his feet beautifully to straight drive two boundaries on his way to 34 from 39 balls.

But Warne, the master tactician, soon worked his man out and one that pitched outside leg and hit middle and leg defeated Loudon’s thrust straight down the pitch.

Two deliveries later Niall O’Brien made the fatal mistake of going right back on his stumps and could only watch as the ball turned in a foot to clatter his stumps and make it 102 for seven.

With 20 overs still in hand and an asking rate of barely two an over, spinners Rob Ferley and James Tredwell (10) joined forces to add a crucial 19 and revive Kent hopes.

But with 26 still needed Tredwell pushed at an Alan Mullally leg-cutter to edge to the keeper and on the same score Ian Butler’s risky single led to a run out from Clarke’s direct hit.

The final nail in the Kent coffin came with another run out inspired by Clarke when Ferley sent back Martin Saggers and left his partner stranded.

Earlier, the visitors slumped to 54 for six after winning the toss, but recovered to reach 146 all out after 42.3 overs courtesy of a swashbuckling innings of 79 from Dimitri Mascarenhas to set up a thrilling game for the Sky Sports cameras and a 6,000-plus St Lawrence crowd.

On an unusually dry and tricky pitch - the same surface as used in Sunday’s clash with Surrey - Hampshire elected to bat first and were soon regretting Warne’s decision.

Neither opener looked at ease on the surface, but it took Kent seven overs to make a breakthrough even so.

Having been caught off a waist-high no ball the previous ball, Michael Brown (7) tried to steer the next delivery from Saggers to third-man only to edge to wicketkeeper O’Brien and make it 17 for one.

Derek Kenway pursuit of a single then cost him his wicket when, after John Crawley turned one to leg, he scampered back to his ground only to lose the race to Carberry’s throw and Symonds lob back onto the stumps.

Saggers enjoyed a good stroke of luck when Crawley, with his score on 16, chased a long hop to flat-bat a catch to James Tredwell in the gully.

Spitfires’ new overseas professional Ian Butler got in on the act by nipping one back in to trap Nic Pothas (3) leg before then Symonds, who also extracted plenty of assistance for his seamers, snared Greg Lamb (1) leg before with another one that cut in off the seam.

The Hawks demise continued when Clarke (15), in trying to work to leg, found a leading edge to give Symonds a simple return catch and make it 54 for six.

Off-spinner Tredwell also found the pitch to his liking, finding more turn than usual, he spun one through Warne’s gate to send the Hawks’ skipper packing for three, then drew Udal (5) down the track for O’Brien to pull off a sharp stumping.

Fresh from a bludgeoning Twenty20 campaign, all-rounder Mascarenhas withdrew his horns with a backs-to-the-wall half-century from 72 balls and with seven fours.

He lost ninth wicket partner Alan Mullally (1) to a top-edged pull to Carberry at square- leg, forcing Mascarenhas into some big hitting late in the innings.

Butler went for four and six from his first two balls of a new spell and conceded two more boundaries in his penultimate over as Mascarenhas went on the counter attack.

He was last man out for 79 from 93 balls with 10 fours and a brace of sixes, skying a drive to Symonds at cover to complete a good night for the Australian all-rounder.

Restored to the side after an Achilles tendon strain, Symonds was the pick of the Spitfires’ attack with three for 28, while Tredwell sent down three maidens to finish with an excellent two for 24.