Kent Spitfires sneaked a dramatic eight-run win against Hampshire in the final over to get their NatWest T20 Blast South Group campaign back on track on Wednesday night.

Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly (59) continued their impressive form, putting on 96 for the opening wicket in 62 balls and there was a welcome return to form for Sam Billings who smashed an unbeaten 55 and added 94 for the third wicket with Sam Northeast as Kent posted 193-3 on a slow track.

They then stifled the life out of the visitors, who had won five straight at Canterbury, with some fine bowling and fielding, taking wickets at regular intervals to put themselves in charge with Hampshire 71-4 at the midway point and only Sean Ervine (56 from 34 balls) looking a threat.

However with 100 runs needed from the final eight overs Shahid Afridi came to the fore and clubbed 35 from 17 balls including four sixes to change the course of the game.

West Indies star Darren Sammy added 30 from 17 balls to take the game to the final over with just 14 runs required for an unlikely victory, however superb death bowling from David Griffiths (2-24 off four) ensured Kent picked up their second win in their fourth South Group fixture.

Earlier Denly reached his 20th T20 half-century from just 30 balls with four fours and three sixes, one of which off Afridi disappeared into the New Dover Road building site requiring a replacement ball.

At the midway point he and Bell-Drummond had put on 94 runs, though Denly had a stroke of luck when he mistimed one off Liam Dawson which looped inches short of a diving Gareth Berg.

Denly passed 3,000 career T20 runs but departed in the very next over, sending Tino Best deep but only finding Dawson to take a low catch on the run inches above the turf.

The opening pair have combined for 334 runs in their opening four games of the competition.

Bell-Drummond followed Denly back to the dugout just three balls later after getting a thick inside edge off Best to lose his leg stump.

Sam Billings and Sam Northeast steadied the ship and produced a run of 13 straight singles but there was a six-over spell without a boundary until Billings launched Afridi for a straight six back over his head.

Northeast then cleared the ropes from Best to bring up the 50 partnership with Billings from 32 balls in the 17th over.

Billings swept Best for a superb six which sent Berg scampering to the Sainsbury's car park to retrieve the ball and the England man reached his sixth T20 half-century from just 27 balls with two fours and two sixes.

Billings finished with 55 not out from 30 balls to guide Kent to 193-3, but three runs from the final four balls looked like it might prove costly later in the evening.

Best finished with 2-38 from four oveers and Gareth Andrew 1-25 from three while Afridi went for 39 from his four and Sammy 21 from two with both overseas finishing wicketless.

Jimmy Adams (5) hit the first ball of the reply from Darren Stevens for four but three balls later holed out to Tom Latham at mid-on.

Latham showed good awareness to run in, take a throw from Denly and complete the run-out after a mix-up between Adam Wheater and debutant Lewis McManus who departed for six to make it 19-2 in the third over from David Griffiths.

Sean Ervine and Wheater (19) steadied the ship but Ivan Thomas produced a fine slower ball with just his third delivery to clatter Wheater's off-stumo and make it 51-3 in the seventh over.

James Tredwell was his usual smothering self and produced a fantastic slower ball to tempt England T20 spin rival Dawson (6) into chipping it straight back to him to make it 63-4 to start the 10th over.

The visitors were 71-4 at the midway point and survived a scare when Ervine smashed Thomas straight to Latham but off a no ball.

The asking rate rose above 12 an over but with Afridi and Sammy waiting in the dugout there was no room for complacency.

Afridi came in with eight overs to go and 100 runs still needed after Billings and Tredwell combined to run-out Will Smith (9) after more mayhem in the middle.

Ervine brought up his 50 from 32 balls with four fours and three sixes but was expertly run-out by Tredwell for 56 with 82 needed from the final 40 deliveries.

Sammy joined Afridi and the pair piled on 47 from just 19 balls before Afridi launched Griffiths down the throat of Stevens on the rope to depart for 35 from 17 balls leaving his side 159-7 with 21 balls remaining and 35 still required.

Thomas finished with 1-24 after another tight over went for five and the visitors needed 26 from the final two overs.

After Sammy took him for 10 from his first two balls, Matt Coles responded by running out Andrew (5) to leave the visitors needing 14 from the final six balls.

Coles dropped Berg off the first of them but with Sammy on strike needing 11, he nicked Griffiths to Billings to depart for 30 from 17 balls and Griffiths did the rest against his former team.

Kent are back in action at Sussex on Friday night.