Daniel Bell-Drummond hammered 50 off 29 balls as Kent Spitfires beat Essex Eagles by 28 runs on DLS - after lightning and then rain brought an early end to their T20 Blast match in Chelmsford on Friday night.

Bell-Drummond clubbed his third fifty of the competition during an 89-run stand for the first wicket with Zak Crawley.

The Spitfires endured two collapses to slump to 167-9 on a turning pitch as Simon Harmer claimed 4-26, including his 50th Blast wicket for Essex, and Dan Lawrence a county T20 record of four catches in the innings.

But 31-4, including two scalps for Matt Milnes, in five overs meant the Eagles were short of the DLS target of 59 – handing Kent their sixth victory of the campaign.

Darren Stevens said: “We started brilliantly with the bat and then had a stumble because it turned quite a bit and then to get to one 170 we thought we were about 20 runs short.

“I thought the way Matt Milnes bowled with the new ball was outstanding.

“Both Zak and Deebs are class players. Zak is playing a lot for England but for me DBD is over the last five years one of the best white ball players in the country. I’m biased being from Kent but I think he deserves higher honours. Fingers crossed it will come to him down the line.

“They bounce off each other so well and it works really well for us.

“We were taking wickets so if we went off we went off. We didn’t talk to the umpires about it at all we were just trying to rush through the overs as normal.”

Bell-Drummond and Crawley got the Spitfires off to a flier having been stuck in by Harmer on a used hybrid track.

Crawley received two lives, dropped on one and 14, as Bell-Drummond slapped Jamie Porter for two sixes - the visitors pummelling 82 off the powerplay.

But after two miserly overs, Kent collapsed in sensational style with five wickets lost for 22 runs in 25 balls, as spin took over.

Nijjar, who eventually took 1-13 in four overs, bowled Crawley for 43, before Joe Denly was caught by Lawrence at deep mid-wicket trying to replicate the six he had struck the previous ball and Jack Leaning was stumped off Harmer without score.

Lawrence turned snarer when Bell-Drummond - who had reached a 28 ball half-century - spliced to a sprawling Harmer and Alex Blake was caught behind.

Stevens and Jordan Cox rescued the innings with a 44-run stand, with Stevens clubbing a pair of sixes, but another wicket furry ended the innings - this time four wickets falling in 16 balls.

Stevens, Cox and Qais Ahmed were all caught by Lawrence and Matt Milnes was bowled by Jimmy Neesham with the last ball.

Unlike the Spitfires, the Eagles did not pump runs early on.

Will Buttleman was beaten by Milnes’ pace and bounce to be caught behind and Adam Wheater was leg-before attempting to sweep Denly.

Michael Pepper chipped a Milnes slower ball to mid-off and former Spitfire Neesham edged Fred Klaassen to gully.

With lightning striking behind the Hayes Close End, the players left the field game. The rain taht followed meant there was no further play but Essex had just completed five overs with the bat - the minimum needed to create a result.

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