Kent Spitfires’ hopes of qualifying for the Vitality T20 Blast knockout stages were dealt a blow with a five-wicket defeat to Somerset at Canterbury during an eventful evening on Friday.
They posted 137-8, led by Joe Denly’s 40, in an innings which saw another lengthy stoppage due to the SUN interfering with play.
But the away team reached their target in the 19th over to leave Kent still on just one Blast home victory this summer.
Denly said: “We weren’t quite able, I guess, to get on the front foot early and – in T20 cricket – that’s important, especially against a top side like Somerset.
“They made it hard for us from ball one – literally ball one – and I felt we were always chasing it a little bit.
“We weren’t able to get going, certainly through our batting period.
“When they get ahead, they very rarely let you back in.”
Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory won the toss and elected to field first.
There were two Kent switches from the team that were two-wicket winners against Sussex Sharks earlier this week.
Wes Agar replaced fellow Australian overseas player Tom Rogers (shoulder) and spinner Matt Parkinson came in for red-ball captain Daniel Bell-Drummond, who missed out through a hamstring injury.
That meant Harry Finch opened but opening partner, Tawanda Muyeye, gave Spitfires a nightmare start as he fell for a golden duck, bowled by Craig Overton’s (1-26) pace.
But Denly was swift to respond, backing up the hosts’ first six of the innings with a glorious cover-driven four.
Finch didn’t stick around with him for long, though, being castled in Riley Meredith’s first over (3-19) to leave Kent 13-2.
There was then a lengthy delay that saw Tom Kohler-Cadmore take the gloves from wicketkeeper Tom Banton after the former had come off with an injury.
Spitfires skipper Sam Billings had initially looked in decent touch with a couple of boundaries through the offside, only to be trapped in front by Meredith.
It meant Somerset were in the box-seat at 41-3 after the powerplay.
Denly and Chris Benjamin had started to look settled before the latter fell to Lewis Goldworthy’s left-arm spin (1-22) for 20 to leave the home team 65-4 at the halfway stage.
But the new man at the crease, Jack Leaning, and Denly kept things ticking over nicely as Leaning chipped a single just passed the bowler to move the side to the 100-run mark at the start of the 15th over.
Denly, 39, went in the same over when he picked out substitute fielder Tom Lammonby at cow corner from Ben Green (2-32).
Having delivered a match-winning 48 not out against Sussex, Joey Evison was only able to contribute a run-a-ball five before he picked out a sprawling Lammonby off Meredith at the end of the 16th over.
That was followed – for the second time this summer – by a “sun stopped play” delay, which lasted some 23 minutes. The score was 109-6 from 16 overs at this stage, with the sun peeking around the Frank Woolley stand, blinding the batsmen.
On a second “sun stopped play” stoppage of the summer, following a similar situation in last month’s televised seven-wicket Blast T20 loss against Gloucestershire, Denly – who has spent much of his extensive career at Kent – said: “It’s been a strange one.
“They might need to look at developing the Frank Woolley (stand) or something, I don’t know.
“But it’s just one of those things, isn’t it?
“I don’t think we had too much momentum, going into that break, so I didn’t really see it as a bad thing.”
Spitfires really needed Leaning on strike for most of their final four overs but, instead, were only able to add eight from the next two as they were left with Fred Klaassen mainly on strike.
And Leaning was unable to scramble a single to Jake Ball (0-22) to go for 37 from 31 balls to leave Kent 122-7 ahead of the final over.
Agar cracked his first ball for a maximum through the leg-side, only to be caught behind from Green off the fourth ball of the over.
Nathan Gilchrist also did likewise against his former club with a leg-side maximum to ensure the hosts finished their innings on a high.
Opener Will Smeed set the tempo to the visitors’ run-chase with a leg-side maximum from Dutchman Klaassen’s (0-21) second delivery, which flew over the head of Muyeye at deep backward square leg.
Kohler-Cadmore attempted to do likewise off 28-year-old Agar (1-30) in the next over but picked out Finch in the same position.
Promoted up the order, first Goldsworthy – then Smeed – combined to strike three fours from Agar’s second over, which left the away team 45-1 after the powerplay.
But 28-year-old Parkinson (1-28) earned a much-needed home breakthrough in his first over when Goldsworthy slog-swept him to Muyeye as he went for 14.
Next to go was Smeed for a well-made 36. He was run out by Billings after Denly’s accurate throw from the covers as Somerset attempted to work a quick single in vain to leave them 62-3 at the halfway mark.
Tom Abell then bunted Parkinson for a straight six in the 11th over but, from the first ball of the 12th, 23-year-old Evison got ex-Kent batsman Sean Dickson out lbw.
Gregory moved Somerset to the 100-run mark in the 15th over with another maximum from Denly’s (0-29) bowling and the visitors appeared firmly on the home straight when Gregory hooked an Agar short ball the distance.
With nine needed off the last three overs, Gregory tried to finish it in style but was bowled by Gilchrist (1-12) for 37 to end a 57-run partnership with Abell.
That simply left the honours to Green, however, who hit Agar for four and scrambled a winning single to finish six not out.
Abell ended unbeaten on 34 from 28 balls.
Spitfires return to Blast action against Middlesex as part of a double-header with a Kent Women’s match taking place on the same day against the same opposition in Canterbury this Sunday.
