Kent Spitfires lost at home to Sussex Sharks in the T20 Blast in Canterbury on Friday night.
Tymal Mills’ team reached 195-9 despite Nathan Gilchrist’s figures of 3-31 and, although Harry Finch offered Kent hope with a maiden T20 Blast half-century, they were beaten by 41 runs as they were bowled out.
Gilchrist said: “I think maybe we let them get too much of a good start.
“I think we did well to drag it back in the end. Just losing wickets consistently didn’t help us when we were batting.
“But that’s the nature of T20s and we’ll go again in our next game on Sunday.”
A good first over from Kent’s Dutch left-arm pace bowler Fred Klaassen (1-27) included five dot balls – albeit the one scoring shot did see Harrison Ward hook a leg-side six.
Australian overseas player Tom Rogers (1-27) had several close lbw appeals turned down in his first over but the Sharks found their groove as Gilchrist’s first over went for 11.
Off-spinner Jack Leaning (1-28) then struck with his first delivery to bowl Ward.
But Sussex responded well through two Tom Clark fours off Leaning before Daniel Hughes also found the fence to sit 58-1 after the powerplay.
Leg-spinner Matt Parkinson’s spell (0-26) was one to forget, dishing up a full toss that was dispatched first up, before Clark swept the 28-year-old for a maximum.
Clark repeated the treatment from Leaning in the next over that included two other boundaries, one narrowly missing the leg-stump before it went past Kent captain Sam Billings for four byes.
Hughes had looked in particularly ominous form before he was bowled by Joey Evison (2-42) for 48 from 28 balls as Sharks were 112-2 at the halfway mark.
Parkinson continued to go the distance from his two overs, James Coles sweeping him for another leg-side six to finish his second over.
Medium pacer Evison – heading into the game on the back of two vital red-ball knocks with the bat – seemed to have found something in the pitch few of his team-mates had. He bowled Coles for 12 to leave Sussex 128-3.
Gilchrist then trapped Clark in front for 43 from 25 balls when he missed an attempted scoop shot.
There appeared more than just a hint of good fortune as a furious Tom Alsop was strangled down the leg-side by an outstretched Billings off Klaassen’s bowling for 15 to leave the Sharks 154-5 from 15 overs.
While the visitors had set a strong platform, they were now running out of wickets in hand and lost wicketkeeper-batsman John Simpson for 12 when he hooked Gilchrist to Rogers, who calmly gathered on the ropes amid what was initially a strong Spitfires fightback.
The 31-year-old then castled Nathan McAndrew in his final over.
With Kent again not bowling their allocation in the allotted by 7.48pm, their best chance of not being penalised appeared to be by bowling the away team out.
Gilchrist got his third and Spitfires’ eighth scalp when Danny Lamb was caught behind.
Confused was to reign when, after a front-foot no-ball, Gilchrist wiped out the stumps, only for a single to be taken off the free hit.
More drama came as 25-year-old Gilchrist bowled a waist-high no-ball at England international Ollie Robinson – a one-time Kent Academy product – in a penultimate over of the innings that lasted nine balls.
Kent were only able to have four players on the boundary for the last over but got skipper Mills for eight, attempting to run a bye to wicketkeeper Billings.
But late-innings home sloppiest was summed up by Rogers spilling the final ball of the boundary for four from No.11 Henry Crocombe, who ended unbeaten on four.
Robinson was seven not out.
Tawanda Muyeye started well with a cover-driven four from the hapless Robinson (0-50), only for Sussex’s decision to start with spin at the other end to reap reward, with left-armer Coles (1-29) finding a way through Muyeye’s defences.
Batting at No.3, wicketkeeper-batsman Finch swiftly found a rhythm and took seven off Robinson’s second over – but it should have been more.
Just two was controversially awarded from one delivery that Finch sent through the leg-side despite the fact replays showed the ball had clearly crossed the ropes by the time the ball was dragged back.
Finch remained largely unfazed and delivered a leg-side six from McAndrew’s first over (0-25) that heralded 13 runs.
The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman continued his onslaught from Robinson again, slapping 26 off the over to bring up a breathtaking T20 half-century from 21 balls. It left Kent 68-1 after a devastating powerplay.
But Finch departed for a well-made 56 off 26 as he sliced Crocombe (1-21) to Hughes on the third-man boundary.
There was still plenty of work for Kent to do, though, who saw all-rounder Lamb, 29, castle Joe Denly cheaply.
The home side briefly struggled to find a way through the field after Denly’s dismissal but Billings did so with a leg-side maximum as they sat 107-3 after 10 overs.
However, the pendulum swung again when Crocombe fantastically caught opener Daniel Bell-Drummond for 26 from Lamb.
And Billings then was out for 16, scooping a full delivery by left-armer Mills (3-20) to Coles on the leg-side boundary.
Kent’s run-chase was in need of a boost of an impetus and got it, two balls in three squirting their way to the leg-side fence to leave them 133-5 from 14 overs.
It appeared much had been left for Evison and Leaning to do but the former was out for 11 when he picked out Robinson off Lamb’s bowling.
Any realistic home hopes of victory appeared to go as Leaning was cleaned up for 16 when he attempted to swipe Mills through the leg-side before Rogers somehow picked out Lamb at short third man in the same over.
Heading into the last over, the hosts required 36 runs and, while it initially was mathematically possible, it was no longer after Lamb cleaned up Gilchrist for two.
And Sussex wrapped up the victory as Lamb bowled Klaassen for 11 to leave them skittle for 161 with two balls to spare, with Lamb ending with figures of 5-15.
Spitfires skipper Billings won the toss and fielded first, leaving out Australian overseas fast bowler Wes Agar in the Blast again, while batting all-rounder Leaning returned after he had missed their County Championship draw against Northamptonshire.
Kent will now hit the road as they play Glamorgan this Sunday and the return match against Sussex on Wednesday in the Blast.
They’ll face Somerset next at Canterbury next Friday.
