The Sussex Sharks made it five wins out of seven in the Vitality Blast when they defeated Kent’s Spitfires by 31 runs at The 1st Central County Ground in Hove. But for Kent this was a fourth defeat in as many games.
Kent’s challenge, to score 202, was always a daunting one, the more so after Zak Crawley was bowled by Ollie Robinson for four in the opening over – the England opener’s sixth consecutive failure to reach double figures. Robinson was also unlucky not to have Marcus O’Riordan lbw in the same over.
But when O’Riordan was out in the second over, edging Nathan McAndrew to first slip, everything appeared to depend on Daniel Bell-Drummond and skipper Sam Billings, because there was a lack of experience in Kent’s late middle-order.
Bell-Drummond and Billings looked the part as they added 93 for the third wicket. And when James Coles went for 19 in one over, and also dropped Bell-Drummond, a steepling catch, it looked a possible turning point. But Sussex captain Tymal Mills responded by bringing himself on at the other end and immediately bowled the Kent batter.
That moved Billings firmly centre stage. But in the next over he sent a lofted drive to Robinson at wide long-off and the match looked over, despite a spirited knock from Joey Evison (34 off 23) and a quick 18 from former Sussex player Harry Finch. Danny Lamb completed an impressive all-round match with figures of 3-37.
Earlier Kent, who chose to field, made a good start when they conceded just three runs off the opening two overs. But the next four overs went for 19, 13, 16 and 17 as Sussex reached 68 without loss from the powerplay.
In those six overs Daniel Hughes faced just nine deliveries. But Harrison Ward, showing form and confidence after his 68 at Chelmsford on Friday, made up for at the other end. He reached his fifty from just 24 balls, with some long hitting, both straight and to the short boundary on the left-hander’s leg side.
Kent broke through in the seventh over when Hughes, who had swung Matt Parkinson for two sixes, was well caught by Bell-Drummond at long-leg as he attempted a third. Ward followed in the next over, caught by Finch on the deep midwicket boundary. He had made 61 off 28 deliveries, with six fours and five sixes.
The Kent fightback continued when Beyers Swanepoel bowled John Simpson for three in the ninth and in the next over Tom Alsop was lbw to Parkinson for just two, a very tight decision. When Coles gave Parkinson his third wicket, also lbw, for 21, Sussex had lost five wickets for just 36 runs.
But some late hitting by Lamb, who managed 40 from 32 balls, saw Sussex past 200. Kent, for the most part, bowled well in discouraging conditions. But Swanepoel (1-53) and Grant Stewart (0-51) were disappointing.
Tymal Mills (Sussex captain) said of the win. “Ollie Robinson has been a massive bonus for us in this competition. He’s been outstanding and was again tonight, even though he bowled only three overs in the powerplay.”
“He’s been high-class every game because he’s a high-class and highly-skilled bowler. He moves the ball, he seams it, he swings it, he knows what lengths to hit and he’s not going for any runs in the power-play.”
“We’ll find out soon whether we’ll have him for the rest of the Blast, or whether he’s in the Test squad. And hopefully we’ll get Jofra [Archer] back as well for a few games after the World Cup, and then we’ve got a pretty tasty bowling attack. I’m putting it out there, on record, that I want Jofra back. Jofra – we’re ready for you.”
“This match, and the game against Hampshire on Friday, could define our season. If we beat Hampshire we’ve got a foot into the quarter-finals. But we’ve still got a way to go.”
Meanwhile, Matt Walker, the Kent coach, had to rue yet another defeat for the Spitfires: “It was lost in the powerplay, frankly. We were unable to find the length which was most effective.”
“Xavier Bartlett showed the right length. He was outstanding. Their bowlers found their lengths and they were tricky early on.”
“A par score today was 175-180. And they went 20 past it. It was too much. We gave them too many runs. There’s not much more to say.”