Kent win by 83 runs

KENT batsmen made light of the Irish bowling attack and tricky bank holiday conditions at Tunbridge Wells to clatter 194 in 23 overs and win a rain-ruined C&G Trophy tie by an emphatic 83 runs.

A delayed start and two rain interruptions led to the loss of 54 overs and a disruption to the flow of Kent’s innings after Rob Key had surprisingly elected to bat first.

But to their credit, Spitfires’ batsmen maintained their concentration to club the visiting bowlers to many parts of a rain-sodden Nevill ground and to several spots beyond it.

In total the hosts clubbed 10 sixes and nine fours, most of which came from their major contributors Darren Stevens (59), Justin Kemp (57) and Martin van Jaarsveld (29 not out).

Stevens, who cleared the ropes three times, featured in an opening stand worth 92 with Joe Denly (24) and was seemingly just slipping into top gear when he went down the pitch to Shahid Afridi to be stumped from the 45th ball of his stay.

But it was Kemp who provided the real pyrotechnics in posting his third one-day 50 for Kent from only 31 balls. He hit six sixes in all, the second of which sailed over the rhododendron hedges and into the tall poplar trees that guard the railway cutting on the eastern edge of the ground.

His fifth six, straight off Shahid Afridi, bought up his half-century, the sixth took him to 57 and, in attempting a seventh he miscued to deep mid-wicket to give Afridi his second wicket for 48 runs.

Key and van Jaarsveld chipped the few remaining balls around to leave Kent six short of 200 from their 23 overs, having scored at an incredible run rate of almost 6.5 an over

Having lost at Lord’s by nine wickets to Middlesex only 24 hours earlier the Irish, batting in quickly fading light, played like a side low in confidence and they never threatened the Duckworth/Lewis adjusted target of 206.

They had lost half their side within five overs and with only 16 on the board and from there on their only prospect was to save face as best they could.

Between them Jeremy Bray (0), Dominic Joyce (0), Eoin Morgan (1), Andre Botha (1), Trent Johnston (2) and Shahid Afridi (4) survived 30 deliveries and only Afridi, who played three games for Kent on 2004, hit a boundary.

Andrew Hall bagged three for 15 and the other scalps were shared around as Kent, realising further rain was on their way, ensured they bowled their overs quickly.

Peter Gillespie hit 36 before he fell to Min Patel, playing his first one-day game in over two years, and Kyle McCallan chipped in with an unbeaten 27 that took Ireland to 95 for seven when the heavens opened for the third and final time 20 overs into the reply.

Tapping away at their calculators, the scorers quickly decided the margin of victory for the record books was 83 runs, in reality Kent had won by a country mile.