Darren Stevens grabbed the headlines with bat and ball to guide Kent into the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals.

The all-rounder blazed his way to an unbeaten 41 with the bat before grabbing 4-21 with the ball in a 15-run win over Essex at Chelmsford.

His 25-ball knock was tinged with controversy after he survived what appeared to be an athletic catch by Scott Styris on just four.

TV replays proved inconclusive and third umpire John Steele eventually ruled him not out. Capitalising on an extra life, he went on to plunder three sixes and three fours in Kent’s weighty total of 183-3.

He then took centre stage in the home side’s reply bagging the wickets of Adam Wheater, Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara and Ryan Ten Doeschate as Essex limped to only 168-9 in reply, despite some late fireworks from Graham Napier (26) and Styris (40).

Azhar Mahmood also held his nerve in the last over with figures of 3-36 to set up a quarter-final tie away to Leicestershire next month.

After Essex won the toss and elected to field, Joe Denly and Rob Key took Kent to 49 without loss. Key was first man out for 21, bowled by Ravi Bopara. Denly kept up the charge with AzharMahmood, lofting Phillips for six over long-off before being dropped by Ryan Ten Doeschate next ball in the same place. He survived a run out chance in the same over when an Owais Shah shy at the stumps hit him as he tried to regain his ground.

The pair pounced on lacklustre Essex fielding to build a 46-run partnership for the second wicket before Mahmood chopped on to his stumps off Tim Southee for a 19-ball 31. The New Zealander bowled a wicket maiden in the13th over, which also included a stiff shout for leg before from Darren Stevens’ first ball.

Controversy then followed when Styris’ catch at third man was overruled with Kent on 101-2 in the 14th over.Denly reached his half century off 43 balls with four fours and two sixes and Stevens began opening his arms with his usual colourful array of strokes. Two consecutive sixes off Ten Doeschate brought up the 50 partnership in the eighteenth over. But, Denly’s 54-ball 69 came to an end in the same over as he picked out Phillips at deep mid-wicket on 149.

Stevens continued to punish anything short and dispatched Graham Napier over the square leg boundary for another maximum. Martin van Jaarsveld found the fine leg boundary twice in succession in the final over and Stevens hit four from the final ball to take the total to 183-3.

That looked an imposing total and in reply, Mahmood got Kent off to the perfect start bowling Mark Pettini for just seven in the second over. Opener Adam Wheater tucked in to Wahab Riaz’s opening over with a couple of boundaries as he looked to launch the home side’s chase in the powerplay overs.

Essex had reached 48-1 after six overs and the introduction of Stevens into the attack brought a welcome breakthrough. Wheater was sharply stumped by Geraint Jones for 27 in just 19 balls.

Stevens did the trick yet again as a partnership threatened between Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara. Shah exposed all three stumps to be bowled for 27 with the score on 69-3.

He then bagged his third wicket when Bopara gifted a soft return catch on 11 to put Essex well and firmly up against it on 77-4. His fourth and final scalp saw Ryan Ten Doeschate bowled for just three on 87-5.

Styris and Foster added 33 for the sixth wicket, but by the time Foster was bowled by Riaz for just 12, the game was almost over. Napier and Styris plundered big hits at the death for Essex who needed 24 to win off the last four balls. Styris hit the first for a maximum but then picked out Alex Blake next ball to effectively seal Kent’s win.