Kent Spitfires v Surrey Brown Caps

SPITFIRES slipped to their second Twenty20 Cup defeat of the 2007 campaign as Southern Group leaders Surrey cantered home to a six-wicket win in Beckenham to inflict Kent's seventh successive Twenty20 reverse to the Brown Caps since the competition started five years ago.

Played out in a sombre atmosphere despite a near 6,000 crowd at the Worsley Bridge Road ground, the result might have gone Kent's way had the hosts not missed a trick or two, but as it was Surrey, marched on to victory with 14 balls to spare through Rikki Clarke (22 not out) and man-of-the-match Azhar Mahmood, who clattered an unbeaten 39, the top score of the night from 19 balls and with six fours and a six.

Responding to Kent's disappointing total of 131 for eight, Surrey were somewhat under the cosh following two superb bowling stints from Morne Morkel and then Simon Cook, who took two wickets for 28, to pile pressure on the Brown Caps' middle order.

Morkel took one for nine in a searing four over stint that included two maidens and a rapid bouncer that clanged off the helmet of Mark Ramprakash almost before the former England bat had moved forward.

Cook gave sound support with two wickets in successive balls and at 69 for four after 13 overs the game hung in the balance.

Morkel had bowled Ali Brown (9) off an under edge then James Benning (12) ran himself up when backing up too far.

Cook then had Ramprakash (26) caught in the deep by Denly and, with his next ball, saw Mark Butcher (2) sky a top-edged pull to acting captain Martin van Jaarsveld running in from the covers.

Cook's hat-trick ball was nibbled through a vacant slip area for four by Mahmood and though van Jaarsvled soon closed the stable door, the Surrey horse had bolted.

With Yasir Arafat proving expensive, van Jaarsveld then opted to bowl Neil Dexter instead of Darren Stevens, who on Friday night had returned competition best figures of four for 14. The choice proved fatal as Surrey clattered 27 off Dexter's only two overs of the night.

With the pressure released, Clarke and Mahmood went for their shots with abandon and Kent supporters were leaving in their droves well before the 18th and final over had started.

Despite another first ball four from Joe Denly, the young right-hander has achieved that fete for four of Kent's cup games this season, the innings never really got any momentum and as a result the Beckenham crowd had little or nothing to cheer as the hosts conspired to lose wickets at regular intervals.

It was clear from the off the Beckenham pitch, which offered plentiful bounce and lateral seam movement, was going to help Surrey's seamers and Matt Nicholson's first over from the Crystal Palace End proved to be a Twenty20 rarity - a maiden.

In the Australian's next over, Nicholson squared up Martin van Jaarsveld (6) to have him caught off a leading edge at mid-off then, after the batsmen crossed, Denly (9) was bowled next ball with a yorker that ripped out leg stump.

Making room to try and work Jade Bernbach to the off-side Matt Walker (12) played too far inside the line and succeeded in edging onto his own stumps then in the next over Geraint Jones (0) fenced at a Rikki Clarke lifter to glove a catch to the keeper Jonathan Batty to make it 41 for four.

Darren Stevens, on his way to a top-score of 27 from 28 balls, took consecutive fours off Dernbach's next over from the North End, but boundaries were proving hard to come by, indeed Kent mustered only 10 fours and one six in their entire 20 overs.

In tandem with Neil Dexter, Stevens moved the score on to 73 before Kent's next slump, sparked by a silly run out, took the winds from their sails yet again.

Stevens cut Chris Schofield to backward point and refused a run, but Dexter (14) had backed up too far and lost the race back to the bowler's end against Azhar Mahmood's throw. Four balls and one run later James Tredwell (1) wandered aimlessly down the pitch to Schofield to gift Batty a simple stumping.

If Kent were to get anywhere near 150 they needed Stevens to remain patient and bat through, but with five overs to go he aimed to hit Schofield out of the park and only succeeded in picking out Mark Ramprakash at long-on.

Yasir Arafat (7) also aimed to slog Schofield over the ropes but missed to lose off stump and give Schofield extremely flattering figures of three for 18, taking his Twenty20 tally for the campaign to 13.

There was a brief flourish come the death from Ryan McLaren (15) and Simon Cook (25), indeed the latter hit the only six of the innings from Mahmood's last ball, but Kent were still well short of a defendable total and were facing yet another defeat at the hands of the Brown Caps.