Skipper Sam Billings suggested Kent Spitfires were too timid from the start as they suffered a second successive T20 Blast defeat at Glamorgan on Sunday.
The hosts had more than eight overs to spare as they chased down Kent’s 119 after a dominant bowling display, only vice-captain Jack Leaning (45 not out) showing any Kent resistance.
Wicketkeeper Billings reflected: “The last two results have been really frustrating with them being two important games but you just have to draw a line under it. [It was a] really bad day at the office.
“We speak about trying to impose ourselves on the opposition, I think we were a little timid and lacked that intent from the start and then tried to force the issue.
“You have to keep attacking and Jack was the only one who showed a bit of fight with the bat.
“Everything went wrong that could have and it’s a brutal format this game.
“We have been inconsistent and we’ve not played anywhere close to the perfect game.”
Andy Gorvin returned career-best figures of 4-17, along with Ned Leonard (4-26) now having taken nine wickets in his last two matches.
Kiran Carlson top scored for Glamorgan with a quickfire 34 as a series of cameos secured a comfortable six-wicket victory.
Glamorgan gave Spitfires first use of the green-topped surface and instantly reaped rewards in economical fashion initially before Imad Wasim (1-17) began a forthcoming cluster of wickets in the third over.
With Daniel Bell-Drummond dismissed early, Kent’s top scorer in the Blast – Tawanda Muyeye – falling in the next over didn’t help the visitors’ start at 9-2. He mistimed a drive to give Leonard a first-ball wicket.
The struggles in timing and finding the pace of the pitch continued to be the issue throughout the Kent innings, finding themselves three down in the powerplay with Harry Finch unable to continue his form from a half-century last time out, missing an attempted ramp.
With no intention of dying wondering, Kent Spitfires upped their sluggish run-rate on a varying wicket.
Two internationals in the form of Joe Denly and Billings attempted to reform the innings until Gorvin dismissed the pair in the same over.
From 37-3 to 43-5 from nine overs, Gorvin was exceptionally difficult to get away with a good variety of medium pace bowling. Billings was bowled first, slog-sweeping, before Denly played around a nip-backer.
Leaning’s blows towards the back end, particularly from Dan Douthwaite (0-30), for his best knock of the campaign helped Kent to a respectable total when they were at risk of falling for an unwanted record score.
The 31-year-old found two sixes in the final over from Jamie McIlroy (0-28) after the Glamorgan bowler had dropped him earlier in the innings on 13. Leaning farmed the strike from No.11 Matt Parkinson after the lower-order continued to come and go, unable to support him.
Glamorgan came out firing as Carlson so often does, leading from the front along with Will Smale. Twelve from the first over quickly had the hosts realising this chase could be a matter of net run-rate importance rather than the risk of a win-lose situation.
Smale’s ramp for six off overseas player Tom Rogers’ first ball (0-46) helped Glamorgan take 46 from his three overs with a flurry of shots along the way.
With the hosts having no issue with finding their timing on a pitch Kent found to have demons, the relentless striking continued.
A few mistimed shots found fortunate results for the arm-chancing batters.
Not all fell safe, though, with Smale first to go. That brought the inexperienced Horton to free himself for a quick 20, which included four fearless consecutive boundaries off Rogers.
Carlson’s 34 ended, trying one shot too many off Fred Klaassen (2-31), with the game all-but-done with Glamorgan 70-1 after their powerplay.
Horton’s cameo ended when he pulled Nathan Gilchrist to deep-square, which brought Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram to take the hosts closer, Ingram punishing Parkinson (1-15) for two maximums in the same over before being dismissed with two needed.
Asa Tribe came in to hit the winning runs after his return from the Netherlands where he played for Jersey just 24 hours earlier.
Spitfires will play Sussex Sharks, who they lost against on Friday night in Canterbury, in Hove in the return T20 Blast South Group game on Wednesday night.
