A fantastic 102-run opening stand between Amy Gordon and Coco Streets eased Kent Women to a nine-wicket win over Sussex Sharks at the start of Vitality T20 Blast double-header at Canterbury on Monday.
Left chasing 131 for victory, the Horses made light work of the run-chase as Amy Gordon finished with 70 off 46 balls – her best-ever T20 score – while Coco Streets was unbeaten at the end.
Having won the toss and unsurprisingly batted first on an extremely hot day, Sussex enjoyed a strong start as an early chance was dropped at mid-off from Gordon’s bowling (2-19).
Openers Izzy Collis and Mollie Adams had put the Sharks onto 37-0 by the end of the powerplay.
But the Horses made the breakthrough when Collis went for 15, picking out Isabella James at mid-off from Hollie Young’s bowling (2-28) – her first county wicket – to leave Sussex 41-1.
A booming cover drive by Adams from skipper Megan Belt (0-19) then moved the visitors beyond the 50-run mark in front of a crowd of more than 1,000.
James was in the game, though, as she had Shristi Patil caught smartly in the covers by Young for Kent’s second breakthrough in the 12th over after a couple more costly drops.
Adams brought up her half-century off 46 balls with a scoop for four at the start of the 15th over.
Kent’s Gordon got herself in the act, bowling Bella Johnson, to leave the away team 100-3.
Soon after, Adams fell just short of her T20-best score of 60. She was stumped for 57 by wicketkeeper Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones to give Gordon her second scalp.
Young added her second wicket in her final over but Sussex found themselves 129-5, going into the final over.
Izzy Clarke was next to fall when Sydney Gorham (1-15) took a catch off her own bowling.
While Phoebe Wilkinson found herself unbeaten on six from three balls, Eve O’Neill finished 0 not out, with Gorham going for just one off the last over.
Gordon really introduced herself at the start of Kent’s run-chase with a six from Kali-Ann Docherty’s bowling (0-22) before she smeared the next delivery through the offside to find the boundary to leave the Horses 27-0 after four overs.
And Gordon thumped another maximum from Anna Lewis (0-15) that flew over the leg-side boundary.
The Horses were racing along at this point and were 57-0 at the conclusion of the powerplay.
Indeed, Gordon moved to her 50 in just 31 balls – in an innings that included seven fours and two sixes – with a single from Johnson (1-16).
Vice-captain Streets was also playing her part, unbeaten on 25, to leave the home team 91-0 at the halfway point of what looked an increasingly straightforward run-chase.
Another glorious Gordon cover drive for four off Hope Mullins (0-14) brought up the Horses’ 100 in the 12th over.
But that was the end of the fun for Gordon, who was caught-and-bowled by Johnson.
All-rounder Kelly Castle picked up where her team-mate had left off, however, as James Hockley’s side continued to look a totally different outfit to the one that had been well beaten at Lord’s just three days earlier.
Streets eased Kent to victory with a cover-driven four in the 16th over as she ended unbeaten on 48. Castle was 11 not out.
The Horses return to Blast action against Gloucestershire Women at Canterbury on Sunday.
