Superb centuries by Joey Evison and Ben Compton helped champions Kent Spitfires get their One-Day Cup title defence off to a winning start against Yorkshire at soggy Scarborough on Tuesday.

Spitfires, who had slipped to 49-4 after 15 overs, having been inserted, posted 282-9 thanks to a 219-run partnership between all-rounder Evison (136) and Compton (103).

A trio of rain delays revised the home target to 261 in 43 overs, 235 in 35 overs and, finally, 181 in 24 overs.

Kent only won by two runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method, owing to late drama. After the third delay, the hosts resumed on 53-2 from 11 overs and raced to 117-4 from 17 overs - only for more rain to leave them narrowly short.

Earlier, Ben Coad struck three times with the new ball in helpful conditions for the Vikings, bowling his 10 overs straight through for 3-16.

But opener Compton and Evison played contrasting knocks to share Kent’s List A record 219 inside 33 overs for the fifth wicket.

Evison’s knock came from 106 balls and included seven maximums while Compton was run-out for 103 off 137 balls.

“Special from these two,” injured One-Day captain Joe Denly wrote on Instagram.

The drama wasn’t done, though, as Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Revis (3-57) claimed a hat-trick with five wickets falling in the last 15 balls of the away innings.

After mid-innings rain, Yorkshire’s director of cricket Darren Gough saw his side lose Fin Bean to Australian debutant James Bazley’s seam (2-20) to the fifth ball of their chase for two, Hamid Qadri taking a smart catch at point.

But the Vikings, after a further brief stoppage, were recovering through wicketkeeper opener Harry Duke (31) and his captain Shan Masood, who put on 49 to take the score to 52-1 after 10 overs.

Masood, back from Pakistan duty, was playing confidently for 31. But he was run-out by an Evison direct hit at the non-striker’s end from mid-on with the first ball of the 11th over.

More rain came almost immediately at 53-2, requiring the home side needing 10-an-over upon the resumption.

With the threat of more rain to come, Hill crashed the lion’s share of 21 off a Matthew Parkinson over (1-29), only to fall caught behind for 35 off Bazley to leave Yorkshire beaten.

Kent interim head coach Simon Cook said: “I actually thought we were going to go back on for one more over at the end there. It was a bit tighter than we’d have wanted.

“You look at where we were at, 49-4, I thought Joey and Ben navigated that passage of play really well.

“Ben, in particular, through the first 15-20 overs was outstanding. He brought his four-day game into the one-day game for a period and helped Joey get a platform. Then, you saw at the back end how destructive Joey can be once he’s in.

“Jack Leaning throwing the ball to James Bazley in the last over before we came off, knowing we were behind DLS and needed a wicket, and Harry Finch taking that catch, it got us over the line.

“It can be those sorts of things which get you into the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals. Being champions in that way makes a difference because you’re thinking positively.”

Spitfires will play Leicestershire in their first home game of their One-Day Cup campaign this Sunday at Beckenham.