Harry Finch played an innings of Boycott-like obstinacy to see Kent Spitfires home by four wickets in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup group game with Hampshire at Beckenham on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 169, Kent lurched to 96-6 before wicketkeeper-batsman Finch and Charlie Stobo (32 not out) responded with an unbeaten partnership of 74 runs.

South African all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel had taken 3-28 as Hampshire were bowled out for 168 in 41 overs and they had needed 37 from No.10 Kyle Abbott to give them a defendable total. Dom Kelly and Nick Gubbins were the next highest scorers with 32 each.

Abbott then bowled 10 overs for just 16 runs, taking three wickets. But as the visitors began to tire Finch, who at one point had a strike-rate of just five, started to accelerate, finishing on 53 not out from 94 balls.

Spitfires’ One-Day Cup coach Mark Dekker said: “We’ve got to be pretty pleased, to go away on a road trip and then come back here and win as well was fantastic.

“Coming back to Beckenham, the desire to win home games was absolutely vital.

“It was a good win, the scores possibly didn’t reflect the quality of the pitch but it was a great game of cricket.

“You have these expectations of a 300 wicket but we always forget the human element, or the magic-of-sport element. All credit to Hampshire, Kyle Abbott was absolutely brilliant and put us on the back foot.

“The bowlers around him made it bloody difficult for us. It’s still a great wicket, it’s still a 300 wicket, but that’s the magic of sport and that’s why we play this game.

“I’ve engaged with Swanny (Swanepoel) prior to this tournament and always got a bit of a sense that there’s a hidden gem and how do we bring the hidden gem out? So, it’s about enjoying the game and getting him engaged, giving him the confidence to open the batting and backing our player.

“He’s responded brilliantly and the best part about it is, when he’s batted, he hasn’t changed character. He’s a pretty forthright character who likes to puff his chest out and I love that about him.

“That’s the beauty of having someone like Harry in the middle order. He’s really experienced around 50-over cricket, he stays in control emotionally really well, he thinks pretty clinically so he played a huge part in this game and against Lancashire with the maturity he offers.”

Hampshire had chosen to bat on what looked like a typically benign Beckenham wicket - but turned into anything but.

A combination of poor shot selection and a smothering display in the field by Kent saw them post a target which looked well-below par.

They lost Fletcha Middleton in the second over for four when he edged Swanepoel to Jack Leaning at second slip.

Swanepoel was swinging it both ways and he took two wickets in five balls in the eighth over, bowling Tom Prest for seven before getting Ben Brown for a duck at the end of the over.

When Grant Stewart (2-33) had ex-Kent loanee Toby Albert caught behind for a duck, Hampshire were reduced to 24-4.

Joe Eckland joined Gubbins for a partial rebuild but, after making 21, he was deceived by a short ball by Stobo (2-21) and caught at deep square leg by fellow Australian Stewart.

Felix Organ came in and hit the match’s first six off Matt Parkinson (1-39) in the 22nd over, but he tried to repeat the feat two balls later and was caught on the boundary by Marcus O’Riordan.

Gubbins then fell to an ugly swipe off Stobo that was caught by Joey Evison and Eddie Jack was bowled by Gilchrist (1-37) for 14 before the innings came to a premature end when Gilchrist ran-out Abbott.

Kent’s run-chase got off to a rocky start when O’Riordan edged Abbott behind for a duck and Evison went for one to the same combination in Abbott’s next over.

Swanepoel was dropped by Albert on 27 when he miscued Jack (2-43) but he had added just three more to his score when he drove Abbott to Eckland to leave Kent 42-3.

Leaning played on to Jack and was bowled for 14, and Kelly (1-29) had Jaydn Denly caught behind for 19.

When Ekansh Singh drove Jack to Gubbins for six, Kent were on 96-6 but, with the run-rate seldom rising above three-an-over, Finch was able to play it like an old-fashioned four-day run-chase.

He struck his first boundary from the 60th ball he faced and put on the first 50-run partnership of the whole match with Stobo to tilt the equation back in Kent’s favour.

Stobo smashed Gubbins (0-11) for a six to take Kent to within three of victory but there was nearly late drama when Finch charged at Organ (0-18) and Brown missed a simple chance for a stumping.

That allowed Finch to pull the next delivery for four to complete a second successive Kent win with 9.3 overs remaining.

Spitfires will return to action against Middlesex at Beckenham on Sunday.