Jack Leaning led from the front as Kent Spitfires beat Surrey by 87 runs in a Metro Bank One-Day Cup contest at The Kia Oval which also featured a dream debut cameo on Friday.

Skipper Leaning top scored with 87 from 94 balls in Spitfires’ 50-over total of 330-6 and then bowled the first 10 overs from the Pavilion End with his off-spin (0-37) to set the tone for a Surrey struggle to 243 all out in reply, with leg-spinner Matt Parkinson (4-43) also impressing.

Alex Blake, hitting 62 from only 50 balls, and Daniel Bell-Drummond (65) were other Kent batting stars in their third highest List A total against Surrey.

Only Ryan Patel (68) and Jordan Clark, seventh out for 55 off 48 balls, threatened to break Kent’s hold on the game.

Jaydn Denly, nephew of Joe Denly - who missed the game through injury - marked his debut by taking a wicket with his third ball.

Brought on to bowl his left-arm spin (1-20) when Surrey were 176-4 after 35 overs, he bowled Cameron Steel for 25 through an attempted paddle-sweep and almost cleaned up Ben Geddes with a superb delivery as he recorded a wicket maiden.

Geddes did swing him for a maximum before being bowled by Parkinson for 17 and Clark hit Australian overseas bowler James Bazley (0-30) for two big sixes but departed disgruntled after mis-hitting a waist-high full toss from Hamid Qadri to long-on.

Blake later took a brilliant diving catch on the long-off boundary to dismiss Conor McKerr off Parkinson, who then hastened Surrey’s demise by bowling Dan Moriarty, and the match ended when Yousef Majid was bowled for two by Qadri, who finished with 3-50.

The hosts’ chase began badly, with Dom Sibley edging a Grant Stewart (1-28) outswinger behind to go for five and, although Patel and Rory Burns added 98 for the second wicket – Patel twice muscling Qadri’s off-spin for legside sixes – the pair never really got on top of Kent’s bowling. Qadri finally bowled Burns for 43 as the left-hander tried to cut a ball which was too full.

Ben Foakes made only seven before falling to Parkinson, leg-before sweeping, and Patel fell in Nathan Gilchrist’s first over (1-23). He skied to point after 67 balls.

Spitfires’ excellent score was built around stands of 113 and 88 for the second and third wickets, off 19 and 13 overs respectively, and after a solid opening partnership of 48 between Bell-Drummond and Ben Compton. Compton made 27 before clipping Moriarty’s left-arm spin (1-45) to wide mid-on.

Bell-Drummond’s fluent 78-ball effort included six fours before he went back to Steel’s leg-spin (1-51) and was bowled.

Leaning had, by then, driven Steel high over extra cover for a maximum but it was the arrival of Blake at No.4 which brought Spitfires’ real acceleration.

Blake warmed up by smearing and pulling successive Steel deliveries for four and, when Dunn (1-53) replaced Steel, the powerful left-hander brutally crunched the seamer back over his head for a huge six.

Two balls later, Blake launched Dunn for another six over long-on and cut the last ball of the over for four to race to 44 and the visitors to 229-2 with 10 overs left.

Young slow left-armer Majid’s reintroduction to the attack (0-39) was greeted by a Blake reverse hit for four and a more orthodox lofted drive over extra cover to complete a 37-ball 50.

There was one more outrageous reverse scoop for four off Clark before Blake’s fine innings was ended by a clever boundary-edge catch by Patel, who threw the ball up as he stepped over the rope and completed the catch after he had jumped back onto the field of play.

By then, Leaning had also gone, skying an attempted pull off Clark (2-54) to keeper Foakes.

But a late flurry was provided by Italian international Stewart, with a clubbed straight six off Clark in a 13-ball 26 and Harry Finch’s inventive 34 off 17 balls.

A dramatic final over brought 20 runs as Finch ramped paceman McKerr (1-80) for four, slashed him over point for six, drove him to extra cover for another four, and was leg-before to the penultimate ball, trying to reverse-paddle.

That meant one ball for Denly to face on his senior Kent debut and the teenager, a left-hander, cut away a low full toss for four with a real flourish. He spoke afterwards about the thrill of marking his senior debut in style.

“It’s been an amazing day,” said Denly. “I’ve always said The Oval is my favourite ground - and so what a fantastic place to make my debut!

“I didn’t know I was playing until yesterday and it was nice that uncle Joe was here in our dressing room, even though he could not play because of an injury.

“He has been a great inspiration to me all my life and I want to be an even better player than he has been in his career. That’s my ambition and we are very competitive as a family.

“I think I’ll remember the first-ball four even more fondly than that first wicket when I look back on this game in the future.

“I was originally down to bat at No.6 but then I didn’t think I was going to get in at all. So to be able in the end to go out there to face the last ball of our innings, in front of a crowd of 6,500, and hit it for four was incredible.

“The roar that went up when I hit it is definitely something that will stay with me.”

Kent, who have won two and lost two group games this season in the 50-over competition, play Middlesex at Beckenham on Sunday.