Kent v Sussex

Spitfires held their nerve in near darkness at St Lawrence to start their defence of their Twenty20 Cup title with a six-wicket win over Sussex in front of a 5,500 crowd and the Sky Sports cameras in Canterbury tonight.

The hosts got home with four byes from the penultimate ball of the game from Corey Colymore to edge to their first win of the South Division with only a ball to spare.

Kent had been given a flying start in their run chase through opening pair Rob Key and Joe Denly, who played some enterprising strokes to 68 in 62 balls.

Key played some outrageous strokes, flicks over fine-leg and the keeper then, with the introduction of Dwayne Smith, he clattered three successive fours on his way to 34 from 29 balls before the fun ended when he lofted a comfortable catch to long on.

Martin van Jaasrveld kept the score ticking but, with his total on seven, he attempted a run down to third man and edged to keeper Matt Prior who took a good catch up to the stumps.

Big-hitter Justin Kemp notched his first six of the night to reach 11 but, in trying to walk across his stumps and flick leg-side went leg before to slightly increase the pressure.

In quickly fading light last season’s final hero Darren Stevens was forced to retire hurt on two after being hit on the helmet grille by a Luke Wright bouncer and left the field with blood coming from his nose.

But man-of-the-match Azhar Mahmood marched in to ease the nerves by swatting a Collymore long-hop over long-on for six to leave Kent needing 13 off the last two overs.

Only three were needed when Denly, having reached a 57-ball 50, was bowled around his legs by a full-length ball from Collymore and, with only two balls to go two were needed.

But Prior, again up to the stumps, was unable to gather a near yorker-length ball that skidded away to the boundary ropes at fine leg to give Kent their deserved win.

Kent had fielded superbly and bowled with great intelligence to restrict the visitors to a scoring rate of 6.85 an over in bowling the Sharks out for 137.

It was former Sussex player, Yasir Arafat, who got Kent off to a flying start with two wickets in the space of four balls in his first over down the Nackington Road slope.

To Arafat’s first ball up, a good length ball outside off stump, Prior (3) attempted to open the face of the bat and run the ball down toward third man but he simply picked out the right glove of Geraint Jones who scrambled to his right to pouch a sharp chance.

Then, three balls later, another Sussex dangerman Wright (1) sliced and attempted cover drive allowing James Tredwell to run in at third man and take a comfortable catch that made it 5-2.

Arafat then gave way to Ryan McLaren who continued the trend from that end with a wicket with his third ball. Down the pitch and driving hard toward extra cover Murray Goodwin (11) expected four, but was spectacularly caught by van Jaasrveld, two handed to his left at extra cover.

Sharks re-built through skipper Chris Adams and new overseas signing Smith, who added 45 in seven overs before West Indies' all-rounder Smith miscued an attempted pull off Tredwell and skied a catch to mid-wicket.

Adams plundered five fours and three sixes on his way to a top-score of 57 off 37 balls but, with the score on 111 he perished in trying to clear the ropes off Ryan McLaren and picked out Kemp at long-on.

As Kent maintained the pressure the visitors lost their last five wickets for 26 runs in the space of six overs.

Michael Yardy (3) toe-ended a pull shot to mid-wicket, Rory Hamilton-Brown holed out to van Jaarsveld in the deep then Carl Hopkinson (9) also chipped a catch to long-on.

With overs and balls running out Robin Martin-Jenkins (3) missed a full-toss to lose his middle stump then Collymore (4) was yorked by Arafat to finish the innings with a ball to spare.

Arafat was the pick with 4-17, McLaren bagged 2-27 while Tredwell looked back to his best in this format with 2-11 from three overs.

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