Kent Spitfires v Surrey Brown Caps

KENT’S Twenty20 Cup destiny for 2006 will be decided this Tuesdsay night when Spitfires do battle against the Surrey Brown Caps in front of an anticipated packed house at Canterbury.

More than 3,000 tickets have been sold in advance and the hospitality boxes and executive club at St Lawrence are fully booked for the game that will decide which three of four southern group counties go through.

Last Friday night’s results mean that four teams - Kent, Essex, Sussex and Surrey - could all finish their qualifying campaign’s with 10 points – so a Spitfires’ win is vital if they are to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since Twenty20 began four seasons ago.

The hosts will welcome back captain Rob Key for the crunch tie after his stint leading England A against Pakistan while the game will also mark Andrew Hall’s last for the club before he tours Sri Lanka with South Africa.

New recruit Dwayne Bravo arrived in the UK on Sunday and has enjoyed his first net session and he will take part in the warm-ups ahead of the match to help acclimatise to the Kent dressing room.

Joe Denly has been withdrawn from the squad with a shoulder injury, so Simon Cook and Rob Ferley will make up the Spitfires' 13-man squad.

Surrey, who inflicted a heavy 107-run defeat on Kent in the reverse fixture at The Oval late last month, will also be gunning for victory to bring their points tally up to 10 and stand a chance of winning the run-rate lottery that could ultimately decide which three of the four club’s qualifies from the group.

In expectation of a near sell-out crowd county chief executive Paul Millman said: "Under Rob Key's leadership Kent's one-day form this season has improved dramatically.

"The team is making a serious challenge for a quarter-final place for the first time and this match against Surrey is crucial to the outcome of the Southern Conference.

"To make this a memorable occasion we want to ensure Rob's team play their only Canterbury Twenty20 in front of the biggest possible crowd."

Ticket prices for the game, which starts at 5.30pm, are: £12 adults and seniors and £6 juniors, but the club suggest supporters arrive early to avoid congestion. The gates open at 3.30pm.

Kent from: Dexter, Stevens, Hall, Tredwell, van Jaarsveld, Key, Walker, Henderson, Patel, O’Brien, Khan, Cook, Ferley.

* Mark Pennell's match report will appear here at the end of the game.