Kent went joint-top of Group A of the Yorkshire Bank 40 after an absorbing rain-shortened three-wicket victory over Worcestershire Royals at the St Lawrence Ground on Wednesday night.

Kent won the toss and put the visitors into bat in a televised game reduced to 25 overs aside by heavy showers in the evening.

Matt Coles performed solidly to claim 4-20 as the visitors were restricted to 110/9 but Kent were teetering on 45/6 in reply when Geraint Jones and skipper James Tredwell came together to steer the Spitfires towards the line.

The pair put on 47 before Jones was caught by Jack Shantry attempting a pull shot, but Tredwell remained and finished with a superb 42 from 40 balls as Kent won with 11 balls to spare.

Play eventually began two hours and 20 minutes later than scheduled at 7pm and Mark Davies gave the Spitfires the perfect start, having Moeen Ali caught by Brendan Nash from the second ball without a run on the board.

Daryl Mitchell followed his partner back to the pavilion soon after, caught by Tredwell off the bowling of Coles for four.

With the Royals 13/2 Alexei Kervezee and Thanil Samaraweera pushed the run-rate up before Samaraweera departed for 10 when Sam Billings superbly juggled a catch on the boundary to avoid taking the ball over for a six, giving Davies his second wicket and leaving the visitors on 34/3.

Ben Harmison produced an even more spectacular one-handed catch, running backwards, with the ball dropping over his shoulder, to account for Kervezee (27) and give Darren Stevens his first victim.

Tredwell put two tough chances down off Stevens and Adam Ball but Davies held onto a chance to account for Neil Pinner for 14, with Adam Riley claiming his first scalp.

At 64/5 the visitors again looked to up the runrate and Gareth Andrew cracked a huge six off Coles, only to have his stumps rearranged from the next ball to leave them on 75/6.

Coles picked up his third wicket when Ben Cox skied the ball to Stevens for nine but 85/7 became 102/7 before Brett D’Oliviera was farcically run-out, with Coles delivering the throw.

Two balls later Coles then collected his fourth wicket having Michael Johnson caught behind by Jones for 11 as the Royals finished on 110/9 from their 25 overs.

When the Spitfires replied Sam Billings (2) mistimed one straight up for a caught and bowled for Shantry as Kent made a slow start, but Rob Key passed 6,000 List A runs in his 214 match for the Spitfires with an inside edge for four.

Brendan Nash (11) suffered a rare failure after harshly being given LBW from a Shantry delivery while Stevens (2) quickly coughed up a catch to bowler Andrew to leave Kent 27/3 while his replacement Harmison was quickly back in the pavilion after being trapped LBW by Shantry.

Jones came in and soon stroked a beautiful four through the covers but Key departed for 11 soon after after playing and missing at a Mitchell delivery which hit off-stump.

Ball came in at 35-5 but was another to depart without scoring, firing straight to Ben Cox at mid-on off of Mitchell.

Tredwell and Jones however combined to calm the nerves and put the Spitfires within sight of the finish line, with Coles (6) joining his captain to see his side over the line and make it three wins from four in Group A.