Kent's Charl Langeveldt bowls Peter Trego for six, above, while, below, Adam Ball is dismissed for a golden duck Pictures: Barry Goodwin

Kent Spitfires slumped to a nine-wicket defeat in their opening Friends Life t20 match on Friday at Tunbridge Wells.

The hosts never recovered from losing three wickets inside the first five overs of their innings as they only made 163-8 in front of a sell-out 5,000 capacity crowd.

Somerset raced to 166-1 in 17 overs with unbeaten half-centuries from former England opener Marcus Trescothick and South African Roelof van der Merwe.

Joe Denly (7), Matt Coles (5) and Martin van Jaarsveld (5) all failed with the bat to leave Kent 32-3 after deciding to bat first.

Captain Rob Key and Darren Stevens put on 80 for the fourth wicket in just under 10 overs but Key was bowled by Murali Kartik for 43 from 39 balls.

Stevens continued to play his shots, scoring 68 from 41 balls including four sixes, but Kent lost wickets at regular intervals, including three in six balls as they went from 144-5 to 147-8 near the end of their innings.

Debutant Charl Langeveldt bowled former Kent man Peter Trego for six at the end of the second over, but it was to prove the hosts’ only success in Somerset's reply.

Langeveldt proved expensive, taking 1-42 in his four overs, while the normally reliable Simon Cook and James Tredwell bowled two wicketless overs apiece, for 27 and 33 runs respectively.

Van der Merwe hit seven fours and six sixes in his 51-ball 89 not out and Trescothick scored 64 not out from 47 balls as Kent were put of their misery with three overs remaining when Somerset reached 166-1.