Middlesex Crusaders v Kent Spitfires

Spitfires lost the chance to stay top of the Twenty20 Cup Southern Division after slipping to a six run defeat to new leaders Middlesex on Tuesday night.

Chasing the Crusaders total of 171-7 on a good pitch at Uxbridge, Kent ought to have gone home with a win but they were undone by the wiles of spinner Shaun Udal, with 3-19, their ex- all-rounder Tyron Henderson, who took two in the last over to finish with 4-29, and their own inability to score a half-century in this competition through anyone other than Joe Denly.

Kent lost their leading scorer Denly (14) in the sixth over of the reply when the young right-hander, in attempting to drive at Tyron Henderson, dragged his back foot to be stumped by Ben Scott.

Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld added a further 32 before van Jaarsveld (12) heaved into a drive only to miss and be stumped by Ben Scott.

Key, one short of a half-century from 37 balls and with seven fours and a six, then holed out to long on off Udal to make it 97-3.

Udal took his third victim when Yasir Arafat (19) slog swept a good length ball to deep square leg then, without addition to the total, Murali Kartik bowled Justin Kemp (8) off a bottom edge as he too attempted to sweep.

Udal went off after completing his four overs having taken 3-19 and, with 18 balls remaining Kent still required 34 to win.

At that point Henderson bowled a telling over, the 18th of the innings. The tall South African had Azhar Mahmood (19) caught at deep cover whilst conceding only seven runs off the over.

In the penultimate over Darren Stevens helped a Steven Finn full-toss over the ropes for six to square leg then Ryan McLaren worked another full toss over short fine leg for another four.

Finn countered with a dot ball yorker, leaving Kent to score 14 from Henderson’s final over of the night.

He bowled McLaren (5) in a cloud of dust with an in-swinging yorker with his first ball to bring in Geraint Jones. A dot ball was followed with a two to Jones who, with 12 needed, walked across his stumps aiming for leg to go leg before for two.

James Tredwell hit a single then Stevens hit four over extra cover off the last ball to finish unbeaten with 28, but the side had lost from a winning position.

Batting first after winning the toss, Crusaders recovered from a poor start to reach a par for the course total but, on a good pitch and with small boundaries on the Uxbridge out-ground, Kent will fancy their chances of taking victory and with it a double over Middlesex.

Kent had three of the Middlesex top-order batsmen back in the pavilion within five overs, that after losing the toss.

Billy Godelman (1) drove at Yasir Arafat's first ball of the night and edged high to Martin van Jaarsveld at skip then, after cracking two fours in his score of nine, England's Andrew Strauss chopped on to his own off stump when attempting to force a short ball from Azhar Mahmood through the off-side.

Spitfires were celebrating again in the fifth over when Ed Joyce (11), cutting hard at a good length ball from Simon Cook, picked out Ryan McLaren at backward point who took a sharp low catch.

Crusaders needed to re-group from 43-3 and did so through Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan, who added 94 in 11 overs for the fourth wicket.

Morgan was the more forceful of the two, powering three fours and five sixes on his way to a 43-ball innings worth 62 that finally ended when he skied a catch to Cook at short fine leg off the bowling of Ryan McLaren, who finished with creditable figures of 1-20.

Malan also posted an unbeaten 52, in 34 balls and with three sixes, but the lusty late blows came from former Kent all-rounder Tyron Henderson with a six against Yasir Arafat and two fours off Azhar before be was yorked by Mahmood for 22 off 12 balls.

Without addition to the score Udal spooned a catch to Cook at mid-wicket to leave Azhar with excellent final figures of 3-27 while Yasir took 2-31.

Kent retun to action with their penultimate qualifying tie and their last at home against Surrey in Canterbury on Wednesday night.

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