Dismal Kent Spitfires were thumped at home by high-fliers Sussex Sharks in the T20 Vitality Blast at Canterbury on Friday night.
Chasing a huge Sussex Sharks total after Tom Alsop and John Simpson put on a fine partnership, Kent fell some way short and were skittled for 115.
Spitfires, who already knew they couldn’t progress to the knockout stages this year now, made two changes to the side which were beaten at Essex the previous evening as skipper Sam Billings won the toss and elected to bowl first.
On-loan Essex batsman Feroze Khushi returned for Harry Finch while bowler Jas Singh came in for all-rounder Grant Stewart.
The hosts opened with Marcus O’Riordan’s spin (0-25) but the 26-year-old went for 17, including four successive boundaries from Harrison Ward.
Singh (2-37) went for four – and bowled a wide – only to recover excellently in his opening over.
The 21-year-old castled Ward with his second legal delivery before Tom Clark went for a second-ball duck. He picked out Jack Leaning to leave Sharks 22-2 from two overs.
After an economical first over by Australian overseas bowler Tom Rogers (1-36), James Coles then sent Singh for three fours.
But Coles was emphatically bowled by the returning Rogers for 14 as the away side were 46-3 after the powerplay.
Nathan Gilchrist (1-29) got among the wickets in his first over – largely thanks to Billings’ brilliance. He caught counterpart Daniel Hughes for 16 with an acrobatic grab after the Sussex skipper had appeared to have gloved the ball just over him.
That left Sussex with something of a rebuilding job at this stage and they were 79-4 at the halfway mark – albeit it was a rebuilding job they delivered expertly.
Wicketkeeper Simpson then sent Jack Leaning (0-13) over the legside boundary for the visitors’ first maximum of the innings.
Simpson and Alsop were looking ominous by now, the pair’s partnership moving well beyond the 50-run mark to leave Sharks 123-4 after 14 overs.
Alsop brought up his half-century in 29 balls through a six over the legside off Rogers’ first ball of the 18th over and, after a wide, a swept four and a quickly-ran two, took the partnership beyond the 100-run mark.
Simpson went to his 50 from 29 balls, creaming Gilchrist’s final ball from the penultimate over through the covers for four to leave them 182-4.
To make matters worse, Alsop should have been dismissed, only for O’Riordan and Gilchrist to get in each other’s way – and Alsop made the most of the reprieve. He smashed the next ball for six.
Kent’s latter-over efforts left plenty to be desired as an attempted flick at the stumps by Billings from the expensive Joey Evison (0-46) allowed Sussex to turn two into three as they ended their innings 203-4.
Nevertheless, Alsop, 28, had batted excellently for his unbeaten 87 off 41 balls and 35-year-old veteran Simpson finished 53 not out off 39 balls from their 139-run partnership.
Spitfires had plenty to do in their run-chase but Tawanda Muyeye – fresh from his half-century against Essex – took seven off the opening over by Margate-born Ollie Robinson (2-25).
Muyeye had taken the majority of the strike in the first three overs – blasting their first six flamboyantly – and scored the majority of their runs before Daniel Bell-Drummond was trapped in front for two by England international Robinson to leave them 27-1 in the third over.
O’Riordan did not last long as he was caught from Brad Currie (2-25) by Nathan McAndrew for four in the fourth over.
Kent had moved to 48-2 by the end of the powerplay with Khushi struggling to find his rhythm alongside Muyeye.
They sorely required some much-needed impetus by the ninth over – some of which 23-year-old Muyeye offered through successive fours.
But Sussex claimed the vital wicket of Muyeye just before the halfway stage of the home response. He was superbly caught on the legside boundary by Currie off Coles’ bowling (4-12) for 45 from 26 balls.
Spitfires’ required run-rate was already more than 12-an-over and Khushi went next for 22. He skied the spin of Jack Carson (2-20) up in the air, where it was gathered by McAndrew to leave them 78-4.
Billings offered a quickfire 14, only to be bowled by Coles when he attempted to launch him over the legside boundary.
Evison was the next to go when he dragged a Robinson bouncer back onto his stumps to leave the home team 101-6 in the 13th over.
Rogers was bowled by Coles a few balls later, Gilchrist suffering the same fate as he went for a third-ball duck.
Vice-captain Leaning was undone by a fine bit of boundary work between the catcher, Ward, and Alsop off Currie for nine.
The Kent fans were put out of their misery when Singh was tamely dismissed for one in the 17th over to boos and several disgruntled supporters made their feelings known.
Spitfires – still bottom of the South group and also at the foot of County Championship Division 1 – are due to face Glamorgan in Canterbury on Tuesday night but still have won only once at home in the T20 competition this year.
