Yorkshire Carnegie v Kent Spitfires

Tykes’ batsman Anthony McGrath - the man who has scored more first-class hundreds against Kent then Len Hutton – put the Spitfires’ attack to the sword yet again in Scarborough on Monday to mastermind a seven-wicket win for Yorkshire.

The hosts fully deserved their emphatic success after bowling well on a helpful pitch that seemed to ease once the Carnegie started to bat and the Spitfires attack had no answers as they slipped to their first defeat of the NatWest Pro40 League campaign.

Chasing Kent’s modest 189-9, McGrath, who scored his seventh first-class ton at Canterbury earlier in the summer, steered his side to victory with a superbly paced innings of 85 not out from 80 balls to win it with 41 balls in hand.

Yorkshire lost opener Andrew Gale (14) when he clipped a catch to Darren Stevens at point off Ryan McLaren who then bowled Rana Naved (0) two balls later as he attempted a wild, cross-batted swish.

McGrath and the stylish left-hander Jacques Rudolph then added 75 in 14 overs with the South African taking a brace of sixes in his elegant 41 that came to an abrupt end when he edged a quick delivery from Robbie Joseph to the keeper.

But that was to be Kent’s last success of the innings as McGrath, who hit four successive boundaries off Simon Cook, teamed up with Gerard Brophy (38) to see the home side over the finish line with 6.5 overs to spare.

A tricky pitch at North Marine Road made life tough for Kent's batsmen but at least an unbeaten 60 from Stevens lifted the gloom.

Invited to bat on a wicket that helped the five Yorkshire seamers, all the Kent batting order struggled for fluency until Stevens eventually started to connect late in the innings with a cameo 40-ball knock that included two sixes and five fours.

At the top order Rob Key (9) continued his run of poor luck when he edged a Tim Bresnan leg-cutter to slip then Martin van Jaarsveld (0) nicked a superb Deon Kruis away swinger to keeper Brophy who took the first of four catches.

With the score on 44 Joe Denly (22) fenced at a lifting ball to be caught behind and, after a stand of 46, Justin Kemp (36) batting with a runner because of more back problems, holed out to long off.

Kent promoted Cook to bat at No5 and he did well to collect 42 from 48 balls with five fours but then he had his off stump trimmed by a Richard Pyrah away swinger to make it 120-5 in the 29th over.

Next ball Ryan McLaren pushed at a big in-swinger, got an inside edge and was caught by Brophy diving to his right.

Geraint Jones survived the hat-trick ball but, with his score on 8, he chased a ball wide of off stump and edged behind off Pyrah who recorded competition-best figures of 4-35.

James Tredwell (1) clipped to long leg then Amjad Khan missed an attempted slog to be bowled in the penultimate over leaving Stevens to plunder 17 off Darren Gough's final over of the innings to see Kent to what they hoped might be a defendable total – it wasn’t.

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