Kent skipper Sam Northeast hailed the contribution of James Tredwell as Spitfires eased to a seven-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in the NatWest T20 Blast at Hove on Friday.

The win took Spitfires back to the top of the South Group and Northeast praised the role of his bowlers, led by Tredwell who took season's best figures of 2-21 from his four overs.

Northeast said: “Treddy is just bowling so well in white-ball cricket at the moment. He’s up there with the best in the world and if the pitch has even a little bit of grip and turn then he’s a class act.

"Stevo (Darren Stevens), too, brought all his experience to the fore. He knew exactly how to bowl on that pitch.

“Then, after we slipped to 46 for three, both Alex Blake and Sam Billings reacted brilliantly by continuing to be positive and bat with intent. They quickly took the game away from Sussex with some great batting.

"They also showed their class in that partnership and it was another good match for us in the competition. If we can keep playing like this then we can look ahead very positively to the rest of the tournament.”

Before a full house of 6,500 Kent won the toss and quickly removed openers Luke Wright (12) and Chris Nash (13).

The loss of captain Wright, in particular, so far their chief source of runs in the competition this season with 430 from 11 innings, seemed to deflate Sussex and, despite Matt Machan’s 32-ball 39, they struggled in the middle overs against accurate bowling the Tredwell and Darren Stevens (1-19 from four overs).

The pair put a stranglehold on the scoring rate, while also taking three wickets between them as Sussex limped from 44-2 at the end of the six-over powerplay to 82-5 in the 13th over.

Craig Cachopa did manage to swing Tredwell to mid wicket for four but, next ball, top-edged to short long leg to depart for 11. George Bailey, the Australian overseas signing, made just 2 before being deceived by Tredwell’s off spin and stumped, while Machan hit Stevens to long on after a good contribution containing five fours.

It got worse still for Sussex when Beer, on 6, picked out long off in Cowdrey’s first over of low-slung left-arm spin, and it was 112 for seven in the 18th over when Mitch Claydon returned to see Ollie Robinson flip a reverse lap to Adam Ball at short fine leg.

Harry Finch, a 20-year-old batsman from Bexhill, hit Matt Coles straight for six and also included two fours in a useful 35 not out from 28 balls, and Yardy pulled the penultimate ball of the innings for four to go to 9 before having his stumps spread-eagled by Claydon (3-40) trying to flick the final ball to long leg.

Daniel Bell-Drummond leg-glanced the first ball of Kent’s reply for four but top-edged to deep mid wicket at the end of the over, and Northeast slapped a Robinson long hop to extra cover on 13 in the middle of a fifth over that still cost the bowler 16 runs as Fabian Cowdrey, promoted to open because of Joe Denly’s side strain, struck him for a six and two fours.

Cowdrey, however, slogged Beer’s leg spin to mid on after reaching 23 from just 11 balls and it was left to Billings and Blake to hurry Kent to their modest target.

Blake finished 52 not out from 32 balls and Billings was unbeaten with a 24-ball 39 in an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 91 in 8.3 overs as Sussex’s 136-8 was made to look totally inadequate.

Both batsmen reverse-swept Beer for fours of remarkable power, and 25-year-old Blake drove Yardy witheringly for four before slashing Tymal Mills and lofting Beer for further boundaries. The left-hander then topped the lot by swinging Beer for a mighty six over wide long on.

Billings, 24, who had warmed up by pulling and extra cover driving Chris Liddle for fours in the seventh over, welcomed the left-arm seamer’s return to bowl the 13th over by smashing him high over long on for six as the youthful pair made light of coming together with Kent on 46 for three.

Kent's win was their seventh in 10 group games and came with a thumping 5.4 overs to spare.

They are next in action on Friday, July 10, when they face Somerset at Canterbury.