Kent Spitfires lost their penultimate YB40 game of the season in unusual circumstances after their game with Warwickshire Bears was abandoned due to a power failure.

Floodlight number 2 at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence blew mid-way during Kent’s chase of 214, leaving the home side behind on the Duckworth / Lewis method by 7 runs.

It is believed that the power to the floodlight was the issue, rather than simply the floodlight itself, and the umpires ruled that the conditions were unsafe to continue.

Kent had reached 110-4 in the 25^th over of their response to Warwickshire’s 213-7, with Darren Stevens unbeaten on 42, but the defeat means the Spitfires now have no way of qualifying for the YB40 semi-finals.

After Warwickshire had lost the toss and been put in to bat, openers William Porterfield and Varun Chopra made steady, if unspectacular progress for the visitors, building a partnership of 60. Spitfires’ skipper James Tredwell made the breakthrough in the 14^th over, as Chopra (27) chipped one to Brendan Nash as he attempted to reverse-sweep. Captain Jim Troughton came in at three, but was dismissed in the England spinner’s next over, sweeping to Sam Northeast on the deep midwicket boundary.

Darren Maddy (4) would also come and go without particularly troubling the scorers, trapped lbw by Adam Riley. Porterfield went on to make a 70-ball fifty, as the Bears reached 104-3 at the halfway stage of their innings, but he was sent back to the pavilion after chipping Adam Ball’s second delivery of the match to Darren Stevens, running back from extra cover for 57.

Ateeq Javid and Rikki Clarke were now at the crease together, and Clarke in particular took the attack to the Kent bowlers, playing a number of paddle and ramp shots, mixed in with some well struck boundaries, as the pair put on a partnership of 69 in 8.4 overs. All-rounder Clarke was dismissed by Mitch Claydon in the 36^th over, well caught over his shoulder by a running Sam Northeast. Clarke made 43 from 31 balls, with eight boundaries. Javid was out in the next over for the same score, trapped lbw by Darren Stevens, as the visitors reached 191-6 with three overs to bowl.

One further wicket would fall – Steffan Piolet bowled by Stevens for 12, as Warwickshire came to the end of their 40 overs with the score on 213-7.

Sam Northeast and Rob Key made their way to the crease to open the Spitfires’ innings, and put on 24 for the opening wicket. Both were dismissed in consecutive overs by off-spinner Javid, Key (5) chipping straight to Troughton at midwicket, and Northeast (22) clipping it straight to the Warwickshire captain at silly midwicket, leaving Kent 36-2.

Brendan Nash and Darren Stevens put together a stable partnership of 35, before Nash (24) feathered a catch to wicket-keeper Pete McKay, trying to cut the impressive Boyd Rankin.

Stevens continued to make progress, as he was joined by Cowdrey as the pair helped Kent to the halfway stage of their innings at 99-3, needing 115 from 120 balls. Youngster Cowdrey was caught by McKay for 6, trying to paddle Rikki Clarke over his shoulder, leaving the Spitfires on 108-4.

Geraint Jones came together with Stevens at the crease, and the pair got ready to set up the second half of the Spitfires’ run chase before the light failed and the umpires brought the players from the ground.

Confusion reigned for a short while as the issue had also seen the end of the PA system, before word reached the crowd that play had been abandoned due to the unsafe conditions.

With the defeat ending Kent Spitfires’ chances of progressing in the YB40 competition, the players’ focus will turn to Cricket Week at Canterbury next week, with an LV= Championship clash against Gloucestershire starting on Wednesday, and the final YB40 match against Nottinghamshire on Bank Holiday Monday 26 August.

 

 

Kent won the toss and elected to bowl.

Kent side: Northeast, Key, Stevens, Nash, Cowdrey, Jones, Ball, Tredwell, Coles, Claydon, Riley.

Warwickshire side: Porterfield, Chopra, Troughton, Maddy, Javid, Clarke, Evans, Piolet, Patel, McKay, Rankin.

Result: Match abandoned due to unsafe conditions. Warwickshire Bears won by 7 runs (D/L method)