Joey Evison was Kent Spitfires’ hero as they kept their hopes of qualifying for the Vitality Blast knockout stages alive with a two-wicket win over Sussex Sharks at Hove on Wednesday night.
Chasing 149, Kent were struggling on 112-8 after Tymal Mills (3-21) picked up two wickets in three balls in the 16th over.
But all-rounder Evison, who had already hit James Coles’ left-arm spin (1-24) for successive sixes, helped Fred Klaassen take 17 off the 17th over from Margate-born Ollie Robinson – including another maximum – before he cleared the rope with a straight hit off Sharks skipper Mills in the 18th over.
That left Kent needing 12 from the last two and five off the final over and it was fitting Evison struck the winning runs when he drove Danny Lamb (0-22) to the extra cover boundary to finish 48 not out from 24 balls.
The hosts could have gone second but, instead, a second straight defeat at Hove has left them with work to do to finish in the top four, with Kent and Hampshire Hawks joining them on 22 points in a congested top-half of the table.
Kent did well to bowl Sussex out for 148 off the penultimate ball on a sluggish pitch, which the Sharks’ batsmen struggled to master.
Nathan Gilchrist led the way with a career-best 4-42, including two wickets off successive balls in the 10th over, from which Sussex never recovered despite a cameo of 27 from 14 balls at the end from Robinson.
Gilchrist had already picked up Daniel Hughes (14) to a catch at deep mid-wicket in his first over, one of two wickets to fall in a powerplay which ended with Sussex 38-2.
Coles and Tom Clark led a recovery with 49 from 28 balls before Gilchrist struck his double blow. Coles lost his leg-stump going too far across and Tom Alsop got a leading edge to cover off his first ball.
Gilchrist nearly had a hat-trick but could only get fingertips to John Simpson’s straight drive.
Kent turned the screw with just 17 runs coming in the next five overs, a fine effort by their attack, considering opening bowler Tom Rogers (1-9) could only bowl two overs before going off with a shoulder injury.
From 109-5, Sussex lost their last five wickets in 25 balls and were indebted to Robinson’s unorthodox but highly effective hitting at the end, which included three boundaries in Gilchrist’s final over to at least give the Sussex attack something to defend.
Kent lost three wickets in the powerplay and Robinson (1-38) looked as if he had put Sussex in control – though not, for once, with the ball.
He ran out Joe Denly with a direct hit on the run and Bell-Drummond, who was beaten by his accurate throw from the deep coming back for a risky second, after making 47 off 36 balls.
Bell-Drummond’s departure left Kent 88-6 in the 14th over and, when Mills plucked out Jack Leaning’s middle stump with a yorker and bowled Rogers, his side were in control.
But Evison had other ideas, with Spitfires winning with three balls to spare. Klaassen (7 not out) also did his in a key 41-run stand.
Kent’s next Blast game will be at home to Somerset in Canterbury on Friday night.
