By Andrew Gidley

Grant Flower ended Kent Spitfires' unbeaten run in Twenty20 cricket this season with a 36-run defeat against Essex Eagles under the lights at Chelmsford on Monday night.

Set a challenging 206 to win, Kent managed only 169-7 as the Eagles made light of missing four players to ICC World Cup commitments to move joint-top with the Spitfires at the head of the Southern Group.

Flower hit 61 including a 25 ball half-century, took 3-26 with the ball and rounded off an impressive all-round display with two important catches, as most of the Kent batsmen perished after getting good starts.

Kent began poorly, with James Hockley out first ball for nought. Joe Denly (pictured) looked well set, until he was caught and bowled by David Masters for 36, and then skipper Martin van Jaarsveld (33) was Flower's first victim, losing his off stump on 88-3 at the halfway stage.

Stevens hit Essex new boy Mark Hardinges for two straight sixes, one of three maximums, in his 26 off 13 balls, and then Geraint Jones (26) was out reverse sweeping into the hands of Masters off Flower.

Azhar Mahmood was dropped in the deep off the experienced Zimbabwean and Kemp then clubbed him for a big six before being bowled next ball. The game was up for Kent when Mahmood was held by Masters off Danish Kaneria.

Earlier Kent’s bowlers suffered under a barrage of big-hitting by Essex, led by Alastair Cook (77) and Flower 61.

England man Cook carried on where he left off at Canterbury last week, hitting nine fours and two sixes, as the home side blasted off from the start. He and skipper Mark Pettini (40) added 91 for the first wicket before the latter was well held, low down by Ryan McLaren at long-off.

The South African all-rounder suffered the most of the Kent attack, conceding 28 off his first two overs on his way to figures of 4-0-50-1.

Cook and Flower added 89 in eight overs, before the England opener miscued to Robbie Joseph at wide-mid-off with the score on 179. Flower blossomed after a slow start, reaching 50 off just 25 balls, going on to hit eight fours and two sixes, before edging Mahmood to Jones. Former Kent man Matt Walker (20) was run-out in the last over.