KENT’S one-day skipper Matthew Fleming described his side’s defeat to Somerset as lamentable after seeing Spitfires’ hopes of clinching second place in Division 1 go down the drain.

Fleming’s side slid to a 118-run humiliation in Taunton at the weekend and can no longer finish in the Norwich Union League top two or claim the £27,000 runner’s-up cheque.

"For me there’s no difference to finishing second of sixth, the prize money is an irrelevance too, what matters that we played so poorly in this match and that we haven’t won the competition," said Fleming.

"We have been too inconstant to stand any chance of retaining our title and have, at times, dipped to 40 per cent of our capabilities as a side, whereas Worcestershire and Glamorgan have maintained their performances at 80 per cent or better."

Fleming admits he made mistakes ahead of yesterday’s west country trouncing, but is still unable to put his finger on his side’s inconsistencies.

"We picked the wrong side, did the wrong thing when we won the toss and went on to play lamentably and I have to hold my hand up for some of those mistakes," he said.

"We mis-read the wicket completely and had other reasons for not going in with two spinners but, in hind sight and the knowledge that the wicket had been used twice before we should perhaps have played both.

"I think 210 would have been the par score for that wicket and had we managed to get their left-hander Piran Holloway out, but I never imagined the pitch would deteriorate as quickly as it did."

Fleming will make his farewell home appearance for the county this Sunday when Spitfires take on leaders Glamorgan Dragons in a potential title decider at St Lawrence. The match will start at noon.