Despite a superb Sam Billings knock, Kent's win-lose NatWest T20 Blast pattern continued as Sussex made light work of a run-chase at Canterbury on Friday night.

Seeking to follow-up Tuesday's fine win at Hampshire and record consecutive wins for the first time in South Group, Kent stuttered with the bat and then allowed the Sharks to run-riot in reply to chase down their 163-9 with time to spare.

Billings hit a Kent-career best 74 from 40 balls and sprayed sixes to all parts of the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, however the second highest contribution came from the 20 extras Sussex conceded.

Despite taking 11 balls to get off the mark, the visitors then made light work of the reply with Chris Nash and Ben Brown putting on 88 for the second wicket in just 55 balls and Nash finished by carrying his bat for an unbeaten 73 from 58 balls as the visitors cruised home with five wickets and an over to spare.

It was a fifth defeat in 10 matches for Kent who face an uphill struggle to qualify for the knockout stages, probably needing to win their final four group games, the first of which is at home to Hampshire next Friday (7pm).

After winning a fourth straight toss, Kent opted to bat first but David Wiese made them rue the decision when he rearranged Joe Denly's stumps from the first delivery of the match.

Northeast followed him back to the pavilion eight balls later after mistiming spinner Danny Briggs into the sky for keeper Ben Brown to race under and take the catch almost at cover.

Wiese continued to cause trouble with changes of pace from the Pavilion End and in his third over, and the fifth of the match, he got Bell-Drummond to chop onto his own stumps from another variation to leave Kent reeling on 22-3.

Darren Stevens clipped a four and smashed a straight six from the final two balls of Wiese's fine spell (2-27) - his first boundaries of the competition, coming in Kent's 10th game.

However despite the encouraging start in a rare opportunity early in an innings, he fell for 18 in the next over, caught on the long-off rope by a sprawling Chris Jordan off Briggs to the frustration of almost the entire ground.

Jimmy Neesham and Billings put on 27 in less than three over together before the Kiwi holed-out to a running Laurie Evans at long-on off Chris Jordan after making 12 from eight balls.

Neesham's departure made it 77-5 just after the midway point and despite Billings ticking along nicely, Alex Blake (1) was cleaned-up by a fine yorker from Barbadian speedster Joffra Archer (2-30) to make it 96-6 13 balls later.

Archer followed up by bowling Matt Coles four (of his) balls later after a lively cameo which saw him tuck into the bowling of Will Beer, hitting 14 with three fours in an over before being bowled round his pads.

It was 115-7 with more than five overs to come but Billings was getting his eye in and reached his 10th T20 50 off 30 balls with his third six of the night, an almighty hook off Jordan which went over the top of the Ames scoreboard.

He was dropped from the next ball by Archer, who waited an age under the skied effort before spooning it over his own head.

The England man made him pay by helping himself to the lion share of Kent's 41 off the following 24 balls.

He eventually departed yorked by Jordan for a county best 74 from 40 balls with five sixes and four fours.

Imran Qayyum followed next ball but Mitch Claydon averted a Jordan hat-trick, having to settle for 3-38 and James Tredwell (8*) managed to drag his side to a total of 163-9 at the close.

Stiian van Zyl and Chris Nash took 11 balls of the reply to register the first run but the boundaries began to flow and it was 22-0 when van Zyl nicked to Billings off Neesham from the 20th delivery of the reply.

Coles had started with a maiden but his third over went for 28, with Nash and Brown taking advantage of no-balls to make it 53-1 after five overs.

Qayyum and Claydon stemmed the flow somewhat but it was still 73-1 after eight overs and Brown and Nash had added 88 from 8.3 overs when Stevens bowled Brown for 49 from 29.

From the very next ball Ross Taylor picked out Tredwell to depart for a duck and leave the visitors still needing 54 from eight overs.

Nash held firsm and after surviving an appeal for LBW from Stevens' hat-trick ball reached his half-century and cruised along adding 38 with Evans who was trapped LBW by Claydon for 15 with 16 runs needed from the final 21 balls.

Wiese was run-out by a scrambling Neesham to start the penultimate over after losing track of the ball after blocking a fierce yorker and 10 runs still needed from the final 11 deliveries, however Jordan came in and hit back-to-back boundaries to ensure victory with an over to spare.