Zak Crawley hit an unbeaten half-century to guide Kent Spitfires to a comfortable eight-wicket win on Sunday.
In his final game before departing for England duty, Crawley made 75 not out off 43 balls as Kent inflicted a first Vitality Blast defeat of the campaign on Hampshire Hawks.
Hampshire lost three wickets in the powerplay as they advanced to 38-3 in six overs after winning the toss.
Skipper James Vince chipped Tom Rogers to Wes Agar at mid-on for six and Tom Prest miscued a pull to Crawley off Fred Klaassen (1-36) to depart in the next over for a five-ball duck.
Toby Albert then hooked Rogers to Tawanda Muyeye at deep square leg for 18 as the Australian struck again.
Dewald Brevis (24) continued his big-hitting IPL form by taking three sixes in successive overs off Grant Stewart, Matt Parkinson and Wes Ager. The 22-year-old South African tried it again at the start of the 10th over but could only find the safe hands of Rogers at long-off to give Parkinson his only wicket.
Hawks were 68-4 at the halfway stage and some big hitting by James Fuller saw them bring up their hundred in the 13th over.
Fuller dominated a fifth-wicket stand of 39 but was trapped leg before to the spin of Joe Denly for 27 off 17 balls, leaving Hampshire 112-5 with six overs left.
It proved to be Denly’s only over, skipper Sam Billings returning to Parkinson (1-40), whose final over went for 15 – the most expensive of the innings.
Hampshire went past 150 with three overs remaining before Joe Weatherley reached his half-century from 38 balls with four fours and two sixes.
Benny Howell hit a quickfire 23 before picking out Jack Leaning at long-on to give Agar (1-26) his only wicket.
Rogers (3-33) picked up Chris Wood for a golden duck in the final over but Hampshire reached 177-7 with Weatherley unbeaten on 63 off 47 balls.
In reply, Muyeye perished in the fifth over for 20, lifting Chris Wood to the safe hands of James Vince at mid-off.
The in-form Crawley joined Daniel Bell-Drummond to help Kent to 45-1 by the end of the powerplay.
The duo advanced the tally to 75-1 without alarm at the halfway stage, leaving Spitfires needing 103 from the final 10 overs with nine wickets in hand.
A change of bats didn’t hinder Crawley, who dispatched John Turner for successive huge sixes – one over long-on and the second high into the retirement flats. The England international hit the next two balls for four, much to the delight of the home crowd as Spitfires took 22 off the over.
Crawley took just 29 balls to reach his half-century, with five fours and two sixes, as he treated the Canterbury crowd to a series of explosive shots.
Bell-Drummond reached his fifty at the start of the 15th over with a maximum over deep mid-wicket. He took 36 balls to get there, with three fours and three sixes.
He took a liking to Wood (2-32), hitting another four and six before being brilliantly caught in the deep by the diving Bjorn Fortuin for 61 off 40 balls.
Spitfires needed 36 off the last five overs with Crawley still at the crease and Denly helped reduce the target to 22 off 18 balls.
Howell’s next over went for six and Hampshire then turned to Scott Currie, whose first three overs had gone for 38. Crawley went down on one knee to hit his first ball for six and he hit a legside boundary off the next to leave Spitfires in touching distance of victory.
The points were duly sealed with an over to spare when Denly (21 not out) hit the final ball of Currie’s over for six over deep mid-wicket.
Crawley said: “Daniel Bell-Drummond played really well to take a lot of the pressure off me and we knew that with the short side and the wind we didn’t have to panic too much when we were behind early if we could get a couple of big overs and that’s how it turned out.
“Deebs played a good innings and I just kind of stayed with him. We speak a lot at Canterbury about this, you can always get 40 off a couple of overs and that’s what happened here.”
Kent’s next T20 action is at The Oval on Thursday when they visit Surrey.
