A STUNNING century from Matthew Elliott and the Duckworth/Lewis system was sufficient to cement Glamorgan’s leadership of the totesport League and leave Kent deep in relegation trouble.

In a game reduced to 42 overs per side, Spitfires had reached 93 for two in pursuit of an adjusted target of 252 when the showers strengthened over St Lawrence forcing the umpires Alan Jones and Roy Palmer to take the players from the field.

Though Kent were 15 behind the Duckworth/Lewis par score going into their 21st over, Dragons were declared winners by 10 runs to leave Kent supporters wondering what might have been.

A spirited 40 from 44 balls by Ed Smith gave the hosts a decent start to their reply in distinctly gloomy conditions for this re-scheduled match.

Smith clattered eight fours before holing out to Elliott from a top-edged pull against Alex Wharf.

Smith and James Tredwell had posted 57 for the first wicket in 13 overs, but Tredwell’s role as a pinch-hitter came unstuck from there on in as he stumbled to 30 from 53 balls.

His efforts to force the pace went awry with plenty of swishing and missing, and it was left to Alex Loudon (14) to try and accelerate the rate as the arrival of rain coincided with Kent falling behind the asking rate for the first time.

Trying to work across the line to Wharf, Loudon perished leg before and Spitfires par score immediately shot up by 10 runs at the fall of the wicket.

Within 10 minutes of Loudon’s demise the umpires led the players from the field and declare Glamorgan winners for the ninth time in 11 starts when the game was finally abandoned at 6.45pm.

It is impossible to know whether Kent would have threatened their target over an extended 42-over stint, but it would have needed Michael Bevan, who had yet to get off the mark, to play and even better innings than that of Elliott is they were to stand any chance.

The tall Aussie left-hander paced his knock of 112 beautifully, getting out to the final ball of the innings to see his side to 250 for six.

Elliott faced 76 balls to reach 50, seemingly content to see Matthew Maynard playing all the big shots at the other end as the fourth wicket partners added 112 in 20 overs.

Maynard won the battle against Kent’s three young spinners hands down to club five fours and a six in his 66 from 61 balls before holing out to deep square leg to give Loudon his sole wicket.

Elliott then upped the tempo to post his second 50 from a further 39 balls to reach his century from 115 balls with 11 fours and a six.

It was all very reminiscent of Cheltenham a week earlier, where Gloucestershire’s Michael Hussey took an unbeaten 107 off Spitfires’ youthful attack.

He too swept Kent’s spinners aside and, like Elliott, proved the difference between the sides.

It all left David Fulton bemoaning the lack of an ‘at the death’ bowler once again as his side suffered a fourth successive league defeat and their sixth in all.