Run out proves costly in home defeat

Kent Spitfires were blown away by a rampant Hampshire at Canterbury on Friday night. Despite a superb stand of 66 in less than seven over between Sam Northeast (59) and Sam Billings (40), Kent lost wickets regularly and were punished for the needless run out of Darren Stevens (15). The hosts mustered just 23 runs from the last 16 balls of the innings, eventually posting 167-7. The visitors made light work of the chase thanks largely to a blistering start from skipper James Vince and 20-yearold South African Calvin Dickinson. Vince hung around to hit a half-century, adding 79 for the second wicket with Tom Alsop and see his side to, if not over over the line, with George Bailey eventually securing a six-wicket win with more than two overs to spare. Hampshire put Kent in and having gone for a golden duck against Sussex seven days earlier, Joe Denly fell to a thirdball duck when he sliced one off Liam Dawson straight to Gareth Berg at short third man. Northeast joined Daniel BellDrummond and steered his side to 40-1 at the end of the powerplay, despite some tight bowling from Dawson. Bell-drummond saw his stumps rearranged after making room to have a swipe at a quick delivery from Kyle Abbott, leaving the hosts 48-2 in the eighth over. Billings joined Northeast in the middle and exploded with 14 off three balls in an expensive Mason Crane over which gave Kent some momentum. Northeast reached his 50 from 37 balls but eventually fell to Dawson, inches shy of his first six. The pair had added 66 in less than seven overs and Kent were 114-3 but with Darren Stevens joining Billings, anything could happen. Billings took Dawson for 10 from back-to-back deliveries as the spinner finished with 2-25 from four fine overs. He was eventually on the end of a yorker from Chris Wood but Stevens got some revenge, hitting Wood for six over extracover. In the next over from Kyle Abbott, Neesham tried to turn a single into two and ended up running 41-year-old Stevens out for 15. Neesham didn’t last much longer, flashing a drive off Abbott (2-25), only to be caught by Vince at cover, while Matt Coles (4) scooped Berg (1-29) to Shahid Afridi as the hosts closed on 167-7, adding just 23 off 16 balls after Stevens departed. In reply, Dickinson hit 51 from 24 balls before miscuing one off Claydon to Coles to make it 72-1 in the sixth over. Calum Haggett and Stevens did stem the flow of runs. However, only 50 were needed off the last eight overs and Tom Alsop and Vince picked up the pace with Vince hitting Imran Qayyum for six to bring up his half-century from just 31 balls. Qayyum (1- 48) did have Alsop stumped by Billings for 32 but at 151-2 with more than five overs remaining, the game was all but up. Stevens bowled Afridi (1) and Claydon deceived Vince (57), before Bailey hit the winning runs for Hampshire.