HARD work paid dividends for Kent’s Michael Carberry as he top-scored in Spitfires’ rain-ruined totesport League encounter with Essex at The Mote at Maidstone on Sunday.

The former Surrey left-hander enjoyed a fluent start to this his second season with Kent, but form and fluency has ebbed and flowed in the last fortnight forcing the 23-year-old to go back to basics.

“I’d hit a slight bad patch and wasn’t hitting the ball quite as sweetly as I had been in May and early June, so I’ve put in a lot of time at the nets working with Paul Farbrace trying to sort out a few technical things,” said Carberry.

“I relaxed a bit and just let it flow today and yes, I was pleased with the results.

“It’s very common after a good start to the season to hit a poorer patch when you lose a bit of shape at the crease and the edge of your concentration.

“So I’ve been working with Paul at getting my right-shoulder leaning into the shots a little stronger and just watching the ball more closely.

“I’ve hit a lot of balls in the run up to the Twenty20 and didn’t even have to bat in our first match, but at least it helped in the league today.”

Carberry fell just three short of equalling his best league score, but his 76 from 57 balls ensured Kent at least made a decent start to an otherwise frustrating afternoon at The Mote.

The rain arrived at 2.41pm and 27 overs into a Spitfires innings that promised much without ever coming to fruition.

A crowd in excess of 3,000 remained patient, hoping the rain would abate and allow a little more play but, after a couple of false dawns, umpires David Constant and Barry Dudleston had little or no option but to abandon the match with Kent on 168 for two.

Makeshift openers Ed Smith and Carberry had laid the solid foundations for potentially an outstanding total.

With David Fulton still laid low by sickness and diarrhoea and Rob Key away on England one-day duty Kent promoted Carberry and re-called Smith after his axing for the Twenty20 Cup.

Both made their points, Carberry first with a stylish 76 for his part in a season’s best league opening stand of 135 in 20 overs.

The Croydon-born player hit nine fours and three sixes, one of which disappeared into the supporters’ club marquee, in a stylish innings that will make Kent think about their batting order for the rest of the limited overs campaign.

His innings ended with a flowing lofted cover drive that, having been timed and middled to perfection, sailed into the hands of Andy Flower at deep extra cover.

Friday night’s cup hero, acting skipper Symonds went past 2,000 league runs during his brief stay but this time the fun stopped with his score on nine.

Again there was an element of misfortune in the dismissal as Andy Clarke drifted onto leg stump Symonds clipped toward mid-wicket only to see six feet four inch Ashley Cowan pull down a catch high over his head that few other fielders might have reached.

With a point to prove following his omission from the cup side, Smith batted with his usual poise and polish to reach 58 from 78 balls and with six fours, his second league half-century in successive Sunday’s.

But it al counted for nought once the rain arrived.