Teenagers Jaydn Denly and Ben Dawkins led from the front as Kent posted their first Metro Bank One Day Cup win of the summer on Sunday.
Spitfires beat Lancashire by 22 runs at Beckenham as both youngsters hit half-centuries before Matt Parkinson picked up 3-57 against his former club.
Spitfires opened with two England under-19 internationals in Dawkins and Denly.
The latter had an escape in the sixth over when wicketkeeper George Bell dropped a regulation catch off George Balderson when Denly was on two.
With Denly starved of the early strike, it was Dawkins who gained the momentum for Kent with a series of excellent shots. He played a couple of imperious straight drives and took 14 off one Tom Bailey over which included a six.
Dawkins’ half-century came up in 43 balls with nine fours and a six before Denly soon got into his stride as the pair put on 100 for the first wicket inside 15 overs.
Denly’s fifty arrived off 52 balls with six fours. Both players looked comfortable against spin, Dawkins launching Arav Shetty for successive leg-side sixes before Denly showed good footwork and placement to take successive boundaries off Charlie Barnard in the following over.
Lancashire finally made the breakthrough when Dawkins skied Bailey to Josh Bohannon at mid-on. He departed for 85 off 79 balls, having put on 155 in just under 25 overs for the first wicket.
Joey Evison added four off nine balls when he edged Bailey to Harry Singh at slip two overs later.
Denly, having hit his first list A half-century against Warwickshire in Kent’s last game and looked set to follow it up with his maiden ton, but he perished leg before to Shetty when trying to sweep on 91 off 95 balls.
After a slow start, Chris Benjamin advanced to 34 off 35 balls but top-edged a sweep to Luke Hands off Barnard.
Harry Finch went in the next over for 15, bowled by Singh to leave Spitfires 240-5 after 40 overs.
Ekansh Singh put on 30 alongside Jack Leaning for the sixth wicket but holed out to Joe Moores at deep mid-wicket off Balderson for 21 off 16 balls.
Leaning (17) took guard well outside off stump but only succeeded in ramping Balderson to short third man.
It was left to skipper Grant Stewart to deliver some late blows with three big sixes, Spitfires posting 315-8 with Stewart run out off the last ball for 32 off 17 balls.
Matt Quinn removed George Bell for a second-ball duck in the second over to give Kent the perfect start in Lancashire’s reply, caught at slip by Benjamin.
Stewart bowled three overs at the start of Lancashire’s reply but then left the field with what looked like a hamstring injury.
Evison bowled Michael Jones for 26 to leave Lancashire 38-2 at the end of the seventh over.
Marcus Harrison and Bohannon batted without alarm to bring up the Lancashire hundred in the 18th over.
Harris reached his fifty from 60 balls after hitting Parkinson over mid-off for four and Bohannon followed shortly after, his half-century taking just 47 balls.
The partnership had reached 96 when Parkinson persuaded Harris to pick out sub fielder Fred Klaassen at wide long-on for 54. Lancashire were still handily placed at 134-3 in the 24th over but it felt a big wicket.
Parkinson struck again when Leaning produced an excellent catch in the covers to remove Singh for five, leaving Lancashire 152-4 in the 28th over.
Leaning (2-31) picked up the wicket of Moores, who had started brightly, for 19 when sub fielder Ben Compton – who was on for Quinn – took a good catch at extra cover.
It was two wickets in as many overs for Leaning, who had Balderson caught by Denly at slip when driving for a duck. Lancashire were 189-6 in the 35th over.
Everything now rested on the shoulders of Bohannon, if it didn’t even earlier in the innings, for Lancashire to get over the line.
He found an able partner in Shetty as they took the required target below three figures.
Bohannon reached his hundred off 88 balls with 14 fours and one six and the visitors needed 83 off the last 10 overs with four wickets left.
The fifty partnership too just 38 balls but Parkinson returned to break it, with Shetty stumped by Finch for 27 off 23 balls. Lancashire still needed 69 to win.
Denly (1-27) then replaced Parkinson and also struck in his first over back, trapping Luke Hands leg before for three with the equation 57 off 38.
Finch continued to rotate the fit bowlers he still had available to him but Bohannon kept Lancashire in range, reducing the target to 39 from the last four overs.
After Lancashire took nine off Evison’s over, Bohannon could only find the incoming Klaassen at long-on to depart for a magnificent 133 from 110 balls, with 17 fours and two sixes.
It was down to Tom Bailey and no.11 Barnard to try and complete the chase, with 30 needed from the last three overs. Bailey struck Parkinson straight down the ground for six but was then run out two balls later when Barnard called for a single to Benjamin that was never there.
