Kent won by 74 runs

MARTIN van Jaarsveld’s West Country run-spree continued with his maiden totesport League century for the Spitfires as Kent overwhelmed Somerset by 74 runs on the final day of Bath Cricket Festival.

Just three days after notching his first-class career best of 262 not out in Cardiff, the stately South African clobbered the Sabres for a 97-ball ton that helped Kent to a mammoth 45 over total of 319 for five.

He hit 14 fours and three sixes in his 110-minute innings of 114 to help the visitors to within eight runs of equalling their record league score – 327 for six taken off Leicestershire in Canterbury in 1993 and the days of 50-overs per side.

Having been invited to bat by Sabres and South Africa skipper Graeme Smith, Spitfires lost Andrew Hall for 17 when he dallied over a single for Rob Key to be run out as bowler Simon Francis followed through.

But Key made amends by teaming up with van Jaarsveld to add 137 for the second wicket in only 24 overs.

Key’s contribution of 67 with 10 fours ended when he top-edged an attempted slog-sweep of Smith's off-spinners to hole out at long-on.

Matt Walker strutted in to get off the mark with a six that crashed through the window of a hospitality marquee door and the left-hander went on to add seven fours in charging to 56 from 39 balls.

Van Jaarsveld joined in the fun by clipping Francis over the mid-wicket ropes to reach three figures as the third wicket partners added 54 in seven overs before the demise of van Jaarsveld playing across the line to Francis.

Walker skied an attempted pull to the keeper off the same bowler soon after, but he and Justin Kemp, who was promoted to bat at five, still added 58 inside six overs

Possibly aggrieved at his demotion in the order, Darren Stevens took guard and careful aim to clatter 28 off 10 balls, including 22 off one Francis over as the former Hampshire seamer finished with horrific figures of two for 77 from his nine overs.

Somerset’s reply was almost as disastrous as Francis’s figures when Simon Cook trapped Sanath Jayasuriya leg before without scoring to his fourth ball and the sixth delivery of the innings.

The Sri Lankan skipper was yorked on the boot working across the line and his quick departure was the exact fillip Spitfires required so early in the riposte.

Requiring to score at 7.1 an over throughout, Sabres re-built though Smith and John Francis in a stand of 52 in 10 overs that ended when Cook had Smith caught off an edged drive to slip.

Francis, who twice edged over the slips at the start, grew in stature to reach a 45-ball 50 but eight balls later he was beaten in the flight by Rob Ferley and bowled having taken a step down the pitch making it 112 for three.

Somerset’s last realistic hopes lay with their leading one-day run-getter, the burly left-handed Ian Blackwell, who soon got into his stride by hitting one of Kemp’s modest medium-pacers out of the ground necessitating a change of ball.

Ferley bagged his second wicket courtesy of a stunning catch from Andrew Hall, who sprinted 20 yards around the long-on boundary to hold a full-length diving catch that accounted for Keith Parsons, but later in the over Blackwell clubbed a second six.

Blackwell took another 13 off Ferley’s next over, including a six into the sight screen on his way to a 36-ball half-century with five fours to go with his three sixes.

Kemp responded to earlier punishment by having Matthew Wood caught on the cover boundary to a flat-batted cut, then James Hildreth followed suit by slicing a drive high to Hall at wide third-man.

Three balls later Rob Turner refused Blackwell’s call for a single leaving his partner high and dry as Walker returned from backward point for Hemp to complete the run out.

Blackwell trudged off cursing with 57 to his name from just 42 balls – Somerset’s hopes went with him and Kent duly wrapped up victory with 7.4 overs to spare.

SCORECARD

Kent

A J Hall run out 17
R W T Key c Blackwell b Smith 67
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Francis 114
M J Walker c Turner b Francis 56
J M Kemp not out 19
D I Stevens b Jayasuriya 28
S J Cook not out 6
Extras 12

Total: 319 for 5 from 45 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-166, 3-220, 4-278, 5-312.

Bowling: Francis 9-0-77-2, Laraman 5-0-39-0, Andrew 9-2-52-0, Jayasuriya 6-0-51-1, Parsons 5-0-26-0, Blackwell 3-0-23-0, Smith 8-0-51-1.

Somerset

*G C Smith c Kemp b Cook 27
S T Jayasuriya lbw b Cook 0
J D Francis b Ferley 56
K A Parsons c Hall b Ferley 33
I D Blackwell run out 57
M J Wood c Stevens b Kemp 2
J C Hildreth c Hall b Kemp 3
R J Turner b Khan 24
A W Laraman c Hall b Kemp 25
G M Andrew not out 1
S R G Francis lbw b Kemp 0
Extras 17

Total: 245 all out from 37.3 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-57, 3-112, 4-153, 5-177, 6-187, 7-190, 8-244, 9-244.

Bowling: Cook 7-0-36-2, Hall 7-0-41-0, Khan 5-0-34-1, Ferley 9-0-52-2, Kemp 7.3-0-52-4, Stevens 2-0-15-0.

Kent won by 74 runs.