Kent Spitfires concluded their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a 76-run defeat to Yorkshire, who secured a home semi-final with the win at Canterbury on Tuesday.
James Wharton hit a century as Yorkshire posted 301-9 and Dom Bess took 4-43 in the hosts’ 225 all out.
Wharton struck 118 from 106 balls while Imam-ul-Haq was the next highest scorer with 70, with Ekansh Singh taking 3-42 before he made 71 in the Kent reply.
Jaydn Denly was the hosts’ top-scorer with 77 but they lost wickets too frequently to sustain a chase and were all out with 5.4 overs remaining.
Kent head coach Adam Hollioake said: “The story of the game is pretty much the same as all the other games, apart from the Durham game, where we got resoundingly beaten.
“The story with this game is we put ourselves into a winning position and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to extend those partnerships and get ourselves home.
“That’s been a common theme throughout this competition, other than the Durham game, in which we got thoroughly outplayed.
“On the positive side, we have gone with the youngsters in this competition and they have probably given us a lot more than what I’d hoped for.
“They’re good players and that sounds like I don’t rate them! Obviously, I rate them because we’ve been giving them a game and trying to secure the future of the county.
“To have five under-19s at times, that’s great for the county.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the results but, sometimes, you’ve got to rebuild for the future.”
Yorkshire chose to bat and put on 71 runs for the opening wicket before Corey Flintoff (1-44) sent Adam Lyth’s off-stump flying, bowling him for 28.
Mo Rizvi (1-52) bowled debutant Will Bennison for a fifth-ball duck but Wharton and Imam-ul-Haq put on 59 runs for the next wicket, Ekansh breaking the partnership when he had the latter lbw.
Finlay Bean made a useful 39 before he was run out by Olly Curtiss and George Hill made just seven when Fred Klaassen (3-65) had him caught by Jaydn Denly.
Harry Duke hit Ekansh almost vertically and was caught by wicketkeeper Harry Finch for three and Ekansh struck again two overs later when he caught-and-bowled Bess for four.
Dan Moriarty went in similar style to Klaassen and Wharton finally fell in the last over when Klaassen had him caught behind, leaving Cliff to take the visitors past 300.
The chase got off to a rough start when Ben Dawkins went for one, chipping Ben Cliff (1-25) to Lyth but Kent responded with a 97-run stand that only finished when Bess had Denly caught by Imam-ul-Haq.
Chris Benjamin was the victim of a brilliant rope-juggle catch by substitute fielder Noah Kelly after he drove Bess and Joe Denly went for just two, miscuing Dan Moriarty (2-49) straight to Fin Bean at long-off.
Curtiss went next ball, lbw for a golden duck on only his second appearance for Spitfires.
Ekansh also fell to Kelly when he skied Hill and Lyth (1-30) got revenge on Flintoff when he bowled him for 13.
Bess came back and bowled Finch for a run-a-ball for 32, then got Klaassen two balls later playing on, leaving Matty Firbank to seal win when Rizvi pulled him to Lyth – his team-mates mobbing him in celebration.
Kent will next be in action in the T20 Vitality Blast quarter-final against Lancashire Lightning at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday, September 6.
