Zak Crawley returned to form as Kent Spitfires concluded a Vitality T20 Blast double-header with a seven-wicket win against Sussex Sharks at Canterbury on Monday.
Left to chase a target of 198, batsman Crawley contributed a first half-century this summer while debutant Dian Forrester impressed with bat and ball.
It made it two South group-stage wins from two for Adam Hollioake’s men this season and came hours after Kent Women had eased to a nine-wicket home T20 win against Sussex Sharks Women.
Sussex skipper Tymal Mills won the toss and, unsurprisingly, batted first on an extremely hot day.
There were two Spitfires switches to the side that beat Middlesex at Lord’s three days earlier. South African overseas player Forrester replaced Joey Evison while all-rounder Bertie Foreman came in for batsman Chris Benjamin against the county that released him last summer.
Tom Clark concluded the first over, bowled by Fred Klaassen (1-51), with back-to-back straight fours.
Spinner Foreman (1-25) was swiftly introduced into the attack but saw his second delivery get beautifully sent for a massive six by Clark.
Clark looked in the mood as he ploughed the first delivery by Matt Milnes (1-29) for a straight six. The 24-year-old was 41 not out off 16 balls, with Sussex 52-0 from four overs.
Indeed, Clark moved to his half-century from just 20 deliveries with a single from Dutchman Klaassen.
He was 78 not out as the powerplay concluded through an over that saw Australian overseas player Tom Rogers (0-35) go for 30, which included a no-ball backed up by a wide.
But that was the end of Clark’s fun for the afternoon. He picked out Tawanda Muyeye on the leg-side boundary off Foreman to go for 79.
His dismissal didn’t do a great deal to slow the run-rate, however, and the away team were 116-1 at the halfway stage.
Forrester (3-25) was then introduced to the attack and made a near-instant impact. He had Dan Hughes caught sharply at cover for 26 by Daniel Bell-Drummond.
One became two for 25-year-old Forrester as Josh Simpson picked out the vastly-experienced Joe Denly to leave the visitors 129-3 and he struck with the next ball at the start of the 12th over. He got down excellently to complete a superb caught-and-bowled attempt to dismiss Tom Alsop.
That brought Jack Leaning, who had left Kent for Sussex over the close season, to the crease. His arrival was greeted by generous applause as the 32-year-old calmly dealt with the hat-trick delivery.
Forrester’s wickets helped bring much-needed control to the Sharks innings.
Leaning then hit the accelerator to leave Sussex 173-4 ahead of the final three overs.
While the return of seamer Milnes to the attack looked a slightly risky move, his first ball back was caught by Jake Lintott (0-27) as James Coles went for 28.
Danny Lamb sent Klaassen for 17 off his final over but that did end in good fashion for him when Leaning picked out Muyeye on the leg-side boundary to fall for 30.
Lamb struggled to enjoy the same success against Milnes as he finished the innings unbeaten on 22 and Sussex ended 197-6, with Fynn Hudson-Prentice also not out.
After he had survived scares from each of the first two balls bowled by spinner Coles (0-26), Kent opener Muyeye found his rhythm and belted Mills’ first delivery (0-48) over the ropes on the offside.
But Muyeye went for 26 when Henry Crocombe (1-31) made up a lot of ground to complete a caught-and-bowled effort that left Spitfires 31-1 from four overs.
Bell-Drummond took over the mantle and claimed 10 runs from two Crocombe balls to move the hosts beyond the 50-run point in the sixth over. Indeed, the 32-year-old added a further two fours as Kent were 60-1 at the end of the powerplay.
There was a nasty incident at the start of the next over, which saw Crawley crack a drive straight back at Bell-Drummond. Kent’s club captain recovered well after treatment but soon fell, slicing spinner Danny Briggs (1-32) to Mills as he was dismissed for 29 at the start of the eighth over.
Crawley appeared to have found his touch after a torrid start to the summer and issued a couple of big blows.
With wickets in hand, 10 runs from two balls by Billings to finish the 12th over had them 116-2 and ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
But 34-year-old Billings fell for 28 as Lamb held on at short fine leg from Hudson-Prentice’s bowling (1-21).
Forrester had already made an impact with the ball and wasted little time with the bat, either, creaming two fours off his first two deliveries.
The hosts required another 57 to win, ahead of the last five overs.
Crawley was then given a life when a chance was spilled over the ropes from Briggs’ bowling as it went for six before the former Tonbridge School pupil moved to 50 from 33 balls.
Real controversy came when a leg-side Sharks fielder felt he had taken an amazing grab to dismiss Crawley in the 17th over. But the 28-year-old remained unmoved and, after speaking to one another, the umpires decided the ball hadn’t carried, much to the away contingent’s dismay.
Intend on making the most of any potential life he had been handed, Crawley cracked Lamb for three sixes in the over to move Spitfires to the brink of victory with 12 more balls to go.
And Forrester did the honours as he thrashed Mills to the leg-side boundary.
He finished 35 not out from a mere 18 balls – an innings that included four fours and two sixes – while Crawley was unbeaten on 75 off 41 balls – 12 days on from being omitted from England’s Test squad for next month’s home series against New Zealand.
Kent will welcome Essex to Canterbury in their next South group-stage game on Friday.
