Daniel Bell-Drummond hopes Kent Spitfires’ convincing win over Hampshire Hawks on Friday night will “turn the page” on their Vitality Blast campaign.

Spitfires ended a run of five straight defeats with a six-wicket success at Canterbury in front of more than 3,500 spectators with just their second win in this season’s competition, chasing down the visitors’ total of 177-7.

Bell-Drummond, who hit an impressive 89 off just 55 balls, said: “It’s a great feeling. Obviously we’ve only won two but we’re hopefully going to show the side we can be in this tournament.

“Some of the losses were close, some of them we didn’t turn up but it’s great to turn the page and hopefully we go on a run now.

“We wanted to try something different, we normally try and bat first at Canterbury but we needed to try something new so we went with that.

“It was a tough first ten overs, Ben McDermott and Joe Weatherley played really well but the guys showed their class and it just shows everyone’s been doing their bit. We haven’t been able to bring it together and today was the first time we did since Gloucestershire really.

“We did really well to restrict them because they were looking like they’d get 200 at one point so credit goes to the bowlers.

“In the powerplay we’ve got one job, to get on with it and get off to a good start and I was scratching a bit for the first eight or nine balls but I think by the third or fourth over we were going to go. We were none down and it was either hit out or get out.

“Tawanda Muyeye played very well, he’s been looking good all year and his big score will come but I was thankful today I could help the team and get a victory. Joe Denly and I have done it a few times over the years and it felt like old times.

“It was needed because we haven’t stood up until now as a unit. Everyone has had their moments and I was just glad we could do it as a batting unit and get over the line.”

Joe Weatherley anchored the Hampshire innings with 67, after Ben McDermott creamed 57 from 30 balls, but they paid the price for failing to cash in after the duo had taken them to 102-2 inside 11 overs. Fred Klaassen had Kent’s best bowling figures with two for 31 while Grant Stewart took two for 39.

Fred Klaassen (2-31) initially seemed to vindicate Kent’s decision to bowl when he took two wickets in three balls to reduce the visitors to 18-2. James Vince went for a golden duck in the first over, Klaassen hitting both middle and off stump and in his next over he sent Toby Albert’s off stump flying.

However, McDermott and Weatherley responded with a blistering partnership of 85 that only ended when the former hit Grant Stewart (2-39) to Tawanda Muyeye at deep extra cover.

From then on a steady flow of wickets slowed the scoring rate. Stewart got his second when Kane Richardson sprinted for around 20 yards and just clung on to a skyer from Ross Whiteley (11).

James Fuller had made four when he drove Michael Hogan to Jordan Cox at cow corner and Weatherley finally perished when he holed out to Richardson and Stewart held a steepling catch.

In the final over Chris Wood was out without even facing a ball, run out by Michael Hogan at the non-striker’s end, and although Dawson carved the next ball for six the target looked a lot more inviting than had seemed likely.

Kent had an early let off when Fuller dropped an easy catch off Muyeye, who was on five when he miscued a John Fuller delivery.

They raced to 59-0 when Muyeye was given lbw to John Turner for 22 just before the end of the powerplay, but it didn’t affect the rate, which seldom climbed over eight.

Bell-Drummond was in regal form, hitting four sixes and seven fours, and Denly looked nearly as composed until he charged at Mason Crane (1-35) and was stumped, leaving Spitfires 150-2 at the start of the 16th over.

A century looked there for the taking until Bell-Drummond holed out to Vince in the following over and Nathan Ellis took the catch.

Kent needed just six from the last two overs, but Ellis held them to two in the 19th, bowling three dot balls before splaying Sam Billings’ (13) stumps with the fifth.

That left Wood to defend four off the last over but after two singles, Jack Leaning pulled the third ball for four through fine leg.

Kent are in County Championship action from Sunday at Canterbury when they host Surrey.