by Glenn Pearson

A quickfire unbeaten 58 from opening batsman Sam Billings led Kent Spitfires to a crushing 10-wicket victory against Warwickshire Bears in a rain-reduced game under the St Lawrence floodlights.

Billings (pictured) stared in a 96-run partnership with skipper Rob Key (24 not out) as the Spitfires chased down 96 to win their second Clydesdale Bank Pro40 game of the season under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Billings, 20, hit 58 off 54 balls, his highest score in a Kent shirt, as the Spitfires won with 9.3 overs to spare.

The home side had earlier put in their best one-day display with the ball to restrict Warwickshire to 94-7 in 26.3 overs before a rain-enforced delay of more than two hours left Kent requiring 96 to win in just 26 overs under the D/L method.

The Bears got off to an atrocious start with the bat, as Mark Davies proved chief destroyer for Kent. The winter recruit from Durham didn’t concede a run from his first three overs, taking the wickets of Will Porterfield (1) and Jim Troughton (1) with carbon copy deliveries that jagged away from the left-handers that nibbled the edge before being easily pouched by Geraint Jones.

Matt Coles had earlier forced an edge from Varun Chopra (0) with his second delivery of his opening spell, while Davies snatched the third when Tim Ambrose skied a short one from the seamer that Sam Northeast caught running backwards at third slip.

Davies went on to bowl his allocation, returning tidyfigures of 3-10 off his eight overs to put the home side firmly in the driving seat.

Darren Maddy and all-rounder Rikki Clarke set about trying to repair the early damage and shared in a stand of 42 for the fifth wicket before the introduction of James Tredwell provided the breakthrough. With just the third ball of his first spell, the England off-spinner turned one past Maddy’s (18) defensive prod that clipped the top of the bail on middle stump to leave Warwickshire 52-5.

Clarke set about taking the attack to the home side, hitting 39 off 56 balls, but his innings was ended when Darren Stevens nipped one back through the gate that cleaned the Bears right-hander all up.

over.Keith Barker lasted just three balls before the left-hander played all round a straight one from Tredwell to be trapped plumb in front of middle stump before rain hauled the players off with Warwickshire 94-7 in the 27

Kent take maximum points ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Southend where they face the Unicorns.