Kent Spitfires’ Vitality Blast hopes were left hanging by a thread after a 19-run defeat at Hampshire Hawks on Sunday.
Chasing the hosts’ 190-3, Spitfires were all out for 171 in reply at the Rose Bowl.
Kent Spitfires skipper Sam Billings won the toss and elected to field. Toby Albert showed his intent by ramping Tom Rogers for six in the first over.
Hasan Mahmud made an immediate impact on his T20 Spitfires debut by yorking Albert for 13 with the last ball of his first over.
Joe Denly hobbled off at the end of the third over after taking a nasty blow to his right leg in the covers from a fierce Joe Weatherley drive.
Hampshire skipper James Vince hit successive fours off Mahmud (1-25) and three boundaries from Matt Milnes’ second over meant the hosts were 50-1 at the end of the powerplay.
Weatherley hit Jake Lintott’s first ball over mid-on for six and repeated the dose in his second over with a maximum over wide long-off.
Grant Stewart bowled successive no-balls in the 10th over and Hampshire were well placed at 97-1 midway through their innings.
Vince reached a second half-century against Spitfires in a week, hitting seven fours and taking 34 balls this time around.
Without Denly to bowl, Billings’ bowling options were limited and Vince hit the last two balls of Rogers’ third over for four and six. He had conceded 39 off three overs.
The duo’s hundred partnership was up in 61 balls but, almost immediately, they lost Vince for 61 at the start of the 13th over, trapped leg before by Lintott.
Rogers (0-43) returned and conceded just four singles from the 14th over, with Hampshire 128-2.
Tristan Stubbs hit Lintott for a six in his final over, the spinner finishing with figures of 1-36. But with four overs to go, Spitfires had restricted Hampshire to 144-2.
Weatherley reached his half-century in the penultimate over off 42 balls, with two fours and three sixes. That over from Stewart went for 18 before he bowled Stubbs for 41 off 24, leaving Hampshire 182-3 with six balls left.
The outstanding Milnes bowled the final over, conceding just eight runs as Hampshire finished on 190-3 with Weatherley 61 not out off 47 balls.
On the back of Kent’s lowest-ever T20 total less than 48 hours earlier, it was an imposing task ahead against a high-quality Hampshire pace attack.
Tawanda Muyeye made his first outing since the end of May due to a concussion and sent the first ball of the reply from Chris Wood straight down the ground for four.
Fellow opener Daniel Bell-Drummond hit a boundary in each of the first two overs but was then bowled by the speedy Sonny Baker for nine.
Zak Crawley hit Wood for six over the leg side and Muyeye, who looked in great touch, followed suit in the next over from Baker with two maximums in as many balls.
Crawley greeted Scott Currie with a six over mid-on to bring up the Kent fifty in the fifth over and three boundaries from Wood’s third over saw Spitfires race to 70-1 by the end of the powerplay.
The Rose Bowl is a ground that Crawley certainly enjoys playing at. His maiden Test double-hundred came here in 2020 and he looked on course for a big score until he played across the first ball from left-arm spinner Andrew Neal and was given out leg before for 33 off just 17 balls – his highest score since late May.
Neal’s first two overs conceded just six runs and Spitfires reached 95-2 at the halfway stage of their innings.
Muyeye continued to impress, hitting James Fuller to the ropes to bring up the Kent hundred before reaching his half-century off 29 balls, featuring five fours and two sixes. He then perished off the next ball, lifting Fuller to Weatherley at deep square leg, leaving Kent 102-3 in the 11th over.
Billings hit a Neal full toss over mid-wicket for six and stroked the next ball to the boundary as Spitfires needed 74 from the last eight overs.
Dangerman Billings, who led his team home from a similar position at Canterbury last week, was caught at point by Hilton Cartwright off Currie for 18 and Kent still had it all to do.
The big-hitting Stewart came in at six and raced to 13 off four with a big six off Neal, leaving Spitfires needing 54 from the last six overs. Then, Harry Finch gave himself room against Baker but was bowled for nine off 13 balls.
Three successive wides from Wood (1-47) helped Spitfires beyond 150, but they still needed 40 off 23. The over featured four wides and a lovely boundary through the leg side by Stewart, but he holed out to Stubbs on the cover boundary for 25 off 16, leaving Kent 158-6.
Rogers hit Fuller down the ground for six in the 18th and Spitfires needed 24 from the final two overs.
The penultimate over from Currie (3-30) saw Lintott hole out to Cartwright for just one before he yorked Rogers for 13 off the final ball, conceding just three runs and taking two wickets to effectively wrap the game up.
Spitfires needed 20 off the final over from Baker, who needed only one ball to have Milnes well caught at fine leg for two to leave Kent 171-9.
Amazingly, the hobbling Denly came out with five balls left and skipper Billings acting as his runner. But he lasted just one ball was Baker went full and straight to bowl him and wrap up the victory.
