Kent Spitfires celebrate another wicket against Durham Dynamos
Picture: Barry Goodwin

by Andrew Gidley

Kent Spitfires blasted their way to a place in Twenty20 finals day for the third successive year with a spectacular 56-run win over Durham Dynamos in front of a crowd of 8,000 at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury on Monday.

Defending a modest target of 150, they never looked back from the moment Wayne Parnell dismissed Phil Mustard with the first ball, and then had Aussie specialist David Warner caught by Martin van Jaarsveld at slip, again without scoring, to leave Durham 5-2 after three overs.

Kyle Coetzer went to a smart stumping by Geraint Jones and then Ian Blackwell was run out without facing a ball, courtesy of great work by Simon Cook at short fine-leg.

Skipper Will Smith holed out to Joe Denly in the covers before spinner James Tredwell got in on the act, picking up Gareth Breese with his first delivery to Ryan McLaren at deep mid-off.

Dale Benkenstein stayed to hit a gutsy 47, but Durham continued to lose wickets at the other end as Tredwell finished with 3-18.

Azhar Mahmood picked up Benkenstein and had Mitchell Claydon caught behind next ball as Durham were all out for only 93, to leave Kent looking forward to another big day out at Edgbaston next month.

Spitfires had earlier struggled to reach 149-7 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Skipper Rob Key and Joe Denly shared an opening stand of 69 before, in the ninth over, both were out in identical fashion to catches by Claydon at wide mid-on off medium pacer Ben Harmison.

Denly went first, for 31 off 30 balls with three fours, and Key, having survived a missed run-out by wicketkeeper Mustard, went for 30 from 24 deliveries with two fours and a six.

Jones (2) was run out and van Jaarsveld (14) went to spinner Breese, reverse sweeping into the hands of Claydon.

Stevens fell for eight and Justin Kemp for 20, but Mahmood (14), including the biggest hit of the night, a straight six off Neil Killeen, and McLaren (21 not out), with four fours, chipped in at the end to give the Spitfires something to defend.