By Mark Stokes

Darren Stevens once again showed his value with a superb 70 as Kent beat The Netherlands by four wickets to pick up their fourth Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season at Canterbury on Sunday.

The Dutch – 40-run victors when the teams met in Rotterdam last month – recovered from 75-6 to make 199-6, but Kent were themselves in trouble at 51-4 before man-of-the-moment Stevens and Sam Northeast (58 not out) led a tremendous fightback.

The pair added 132 from 136 balls for the fifth wicket, with Stevens registering his best score in the competition this season, just days after his 11-wicket match haul in the County Championship win over Surrey.

Stevens (pictured) said he never thought the result was in doubt and that it was just a case of being patient once he got in.

He explained: "It was a beautiful pitch. The odd one just held up a bit on the pitch. It was just a case of getting in really and spending time in the middle.

"It wasn't great losing the early wickets but it gave me a chance to have a nice knock and when Sam came in I said to him 'Let's just have a bit of a net here mate and runs will tick over."

Requiring exactly five runs an over, Kent’s reply had begun disastrously with the top four all back in the pavilion inside 10 overs. The home side had just seven on the board when Joe Denly was trapped leg before for one by left-armer Shane Mott from the last ball of the second over.

Azhar Mahmood had looked comfortable in getting to 20 but with the total on 39, he was surprised by one which kept low and was bowled by Mudassar Bukhari.

Daniel Bell-Drummond, dropped at slip by Tim Gruijters from the third ball he faced, made his way to 17 before being caught behind driving off Mott, and just two runs later Martin van Jaarsveld drove Peter Borren to Gruijters at short extra cover for 11, leaving Kent at 51-4.

Stevens and Northeast then re-built, bringing up Kent’s 100 in the 18th over, and the 150 in the 27th. Stevens looked imperious from the off, going to his fifty off 45 balls, with six boundaries, and by the time he chipped Mott to Michael Swart at mid off, with the total at 183, he had faced 67 deliveries, hitting eight fours and the only six of the Kent innings.

Northeast proved the perfect foil, his runs coming off 77 balls, with four fours. He had reached his half-century from 64 balls.

There was one more success for the Dutch, when Geraint Jones was trapped leg before by Gruijters for five, but victory was assured when Ball hit the ball to the boundary in the 36th over.

After winning the toss The Netherlands had soon hit trouble, losing both openers inside five overs with only seven runs on the board.

Eric Szwarczynski lasted only until the second over when he drove loosely at Mahmood and was comfortably caught at point by Stevens without scoring.

Just four runs later Wesley Barresi followed when he edged a lifting delivery from Wahab Riaz and was caught behind by Jones for five.

Michael Swart and Wilf Diepeveen then consolidated, bringing up the visitors’ fifty in the 14th over, before Diepeveen was well caught by a diving James Tredwell at short cover off Simon Cook for a 40-ball 27.

Diepeveen’s departure, at 57-3, brought in skipper Peter Borren, who had made an unbeaten 71 in the Dutch side’s win in Rotterdam, but he made just seven on this occasion, before pushing forward tentatively to be caught by Jones off Tredwell to make it 67-4 in the 20th over.

Swart’s dogged 46-ball stay ended, two runs later when he got a bottom edge and was bowled for 17 by Ball, who then sent Gruijters packing the same way for just two with the score at 75.

At that stage Kent were well on top but the Dutch innings was then transformed by Bukhari and Tom de Grooth, who shared a Dutch competition-record seventh wicket stand of 124 from 106 balls.

Bukhari wasted no time showing his intent, immediately hitting Ball for a four and Tredwell for a towering six over long on, as the 100 came up in the 28th over.

He quickly added another maximum off Denly – whose short spell had begun with the only maiden of the innings – and as the pair stepped up the momentum late on 77 came from the final 10 overs, including 36 from the last four.

Pakistan-born Bukhari hit seven fours and two sixes as he finished unbeaten on 78 from 62 balls, having reached his half-century in 43, while de Grooth made an unbeaten 37 from 49 balls, with five boundaries.

Ball finished with 2-32 from seven overs, while Riaz took 1-29 in eight, but Cook’s six overs cost 40 runs and there were 26 extras, 19 of which were wides.