Kent Spitfires opened their Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign with a six-wicket defeat against Worcestershire Royals at the St Lawrence Ground on Sunday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Kent made 232-8 from their 40 overs with Martin van Jaarsveld (pictured right) starring with a knock of 81.

But Worcestershire kept up with the required run-rate and, although they had wickets in hand, did not win the game until the final over.

An injury to Simon Cook meant Kent were forced to field a youthful bowling attack with Adam Riley coming in for his debut while Adam Ball and Ashley Shaw played their first 40-over games for the county.

Sam Northeast opened the Kent innings with Rob Key, in the absence of the injured Joe Denly, and Alex Blake returned to the side having missed out against Gloucestershire in the county championship.

Kent got off to a bad start when Northeast went for just one run in the third over after being caught in the slips by Daryl Mitchell.

Van Jaarsveld joined Key (pictured below) at the crease and the pair put on a 50-partnership for the second wicket, before the Kent skipper was caught behind by Ben Cox for 29.

Van Jaarsveld reached his half-century, including eight fours, to leave Kent on 90-2 off 15 overs. They moved on to 110-2 at the halfway mark in their innings and, soon after, van Jaarsveld and Stevens put on 50 for the third wicket.

Stevens went for a run-a-ball 41, which included six fours and a six, when he was caught on the boundary by Moeen Ali, and van Jaarsveld was finally out for a fine 81 when his attempted pull-shot was caught by a good reflex catch from Mitchell.

Blake was run out (pictured below) by a direct hit from James Cameron for 12 and Mahmood was caught by Gareth Andrew for 15, before Geraint Jones (14) skied the ball to the same player in the penultimate over.

Tredwell (17) was caught by Vikram Solanki while hitting out in the final over as Kent finished their innings on 232-8.

Azhar Mahmood and Shaw opened the bowling for Kent, but Solanki and Ali got the reply off to a solid start as the pair passed the 50 mark in the eighth over.

James Tredwell made the breakthrough for Kent with 79 on the board when he trapped Ali lbw for 31 in the 11th over.

Riley then made Solanki (59) his first victim in county cricket courtesy of a Tredwell catch, but by the time Worcestershire had 105 on the board.

With 10 overs left the visitors were 171-2 before the impressive Riley struck again when Neil Pinner was stumped by Jones for 33, breaking up a 78- run partnership with Alexi Kervezee.

Kervezee (69) holed out to Tredwell at mid-off with only three runs required, leaving Cameron and Mitchell to see Worcestershire home.

Kent: Key, Northeast, Van Jaarsveld, Stevens, Blake, Jones, Mahmood, Tredwell, Ball, Shaw, Riley.

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