Middlesex won by six wickets

KENT’S hapless Twenty20 Cup form continued as they suffered a fifth straight defeat, this time by six-wickets to Middlesex at Uxbridge.

Spitfires again disappointed with the bat in posting a 20-over total of 144 for eight and were powerless to prevent the hosts from cantering to their win with more than two overs to spare.

The tone for the Kent innings was set early when acting skipper Matt Walker fell to the second ball of the night and again it was Michael Carberry, overlooked for much of the season, who saved major embarrassment with a top-score of 36 from 33 balls and with three sixes.

The sorry tale might have been much worse for Kent but for a pugnacious unbeaten 33 from James Tredwell from just 17 balls, otherwise Spitfires’ batsmen showed they have yet to master this shortened form of the game.

Little-known left-arm spinner Chris Peploe bagged three for 35 and Jamie Dalrymple two for 26 as Kent put in another apathetic batting performance.

Last week’s Crusaders’ hero and ex-Kent batsman Ed Smith fell to Cook early in the Middlesex reply, but Owais Shah successfully went for his shots to hit an unbeaten 59 from 38-balls to steer the hosts to a comfortable win.

Shah and Ben Hutton (27 not out) added an unbroken 64 for the fourth wicket to ease their side home with 16 balls to spare.

Kent can no longer qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition ensuring that next week’s clashes with Sussex and Essex in Canterbury on Tuesday, July 5 and Wednesday, July 6, are effectively dead rubbers.