KENT'S first home game of this year's Twenty20 Cup campaign against Essex turned into a 10-over thriller after rain reduced the tie into a 61-ball slog-fest that ended with a three run win for Kent under the Duckworth/Lewis rules.

With the weather seemingly set fair at the 3pm start time Kent, batting first in front of a crowd of 5,000, were coasting at 44 for one from 5.1 overs when the heavens opened which, together with lightning, forced the players from the field and bought about a premature end to their enterprising start.

Rob Key and Joe Denly had posted 27 for the first wicket, Denly contributing 17 with three boundaries, before he jabbed down late on a Tony Palladino yorker to lose his off stump.

Key took a liking to the deft sweep with an angled bat against the Essex medium-pacers and it contributed another three fours, the last of which, against Graham Napier, proved to be Kent's last shot in anger before the rain break.

With the cut-off point to abandoning the game fast approaching, the showers stopped, the groundstaff did their work and the umpires ordered play could re-start just before 5.30pm.

The decision was wholly unpopular with Kent's players and supporters as the Duckworth/Lewis method left Essex with 30 balls to score 50 with all their wickets intact.

The fact that Kent's frontline bowlers would only be allowed to bowl one over apiece meant the odds were stacked heavily in favour of Essex, but Spitfires showed great spirit to upset the form and appease the crowd.

Eagles made a flying start with 13 off the first over from 22-year-old paceman Morne Morkel on his home debut, but Kent landed a double blow in the second over from Ryan McLaren.

Down the Nackington Road slope, McLaren trapped Mark Pettini (0) leg before with his first ball then, three balls later, he had Andy Bichel (1) caught low down at third man to reduce the visitors to 15 for two.

Grant Flower (20) and Ryan ten Doeschate doubled the Essex score in a quick-fire stand of 17 that ended with a spectacular run out.

Ten Doeschate, in attempting a big straight hit off Simon Cook, sliced high to mid-off where the ball landed between the bowler and fielder Yasir Arafat but, as the batsmen turned for a cheeky second, Arafat pounced to throw down the stumps at the strikers' end and send ten Doeschate packing.

It all boiled down to Essex needing 15 off the last over from Arafat from the Pavilion End with James Foster on strike.

The former England keeper hammered a six off the first ball and a four off the third, a wide then cut the equation to four needed from three balls.

Foster then swung wildly to lose his off stump, Adam Hollioake came in and followed suit but this time the ball missed the stumps and went through to Geraint Jones. As Hollioake set off for the bye to the keeper Grant Flower was left hopelessly stranded and run out by a couple of yards.

With four then needed from the last ball James Middlebrook heaved to leg and connected high into the air, but Morkel ran in from deep mid-wicket to take a well-judged catch and send the crowd into raptures.

Arafat had claimed two for 11 in his over and McLaren two for three as Spitfires banked two points to remain unbeaten after two starts.

Certain sections of the crowd were, however, left feeling cheated that the game had been cut by 30 overs and despite offers of half-price tickets for Tuesday's match with Sussex some made their feelings known.

Afterwards Kent chief executive Paul Millman said: "It’s a great concern for me that there were families here today that felt short-changed and I have to say that I understand their point of view.

“They came to watch a game of 40 overs and saw 10, but the biggest irony was that the shortened match finished in bright sunshine and in the best conditions of the day.

“I will raise these concerns with the ECB to see is there can be a little more flexibility when it comes to rain affected Twenty20 games because I don’t want to see families leave here unhappy.”

Scores Kent 44 for one after 5.1 overs; Essex 46 for six after five overs. Kent won by 3 runs D/L Method.