Kent Spitfires fell to a resounding 87 run defeat at Middlesex’s out-ground in Radlett after a middle and late order collapse turned the game in the hosts favour.

Kent began their run chase well and were well placed when Billings was joined by Cowdrey at 106/4 in the twenty-third over but by the forty-second over were all out for 173, eighty-seven run short of their hosts.

Having lost the toss and being asked to field first, Kent’s bowlers and fielding gave little away and certainly so in the early opening ten over power-play. So much so the hosts only managed to register their first boundary in the seventh over.

The tight opening bowling soon brought its reward in the ninth over as Mitch Claydon opened his and Kent’s account with only his second ball – A great change by Captain Sam Northeast as Sam Robson went leg-before-wicket (15, 25/1)

At the end of the ten-over power-play, despite winning the toss, Middlesex found themselves limited to only 35 for the loss of one wicket.

With the introduction of the slower bowling from James Tredwell it took him only two balls to strike akin to Claydon’s earlier success – Nick Compton leg-before (17, 71/2).

Tredwell soon struck again and in spectacular fashion – Matt Coles taking an airborne diving catch high to his right at mid-off to send new batsman Eoin Morgan back to the pavilion (3, 81/3)

With runs coming at a premium on a seemingly slow wicket Northeast introduced Fabian Cowdrey to support Tredwell and with it came the wicket of Dawid Malan – Malan hitting a short and straight ball onto the leg-side but succeeded only in striking the ball straight to Alex Blake on the boundary for a simple catch (47, 97/4)

With the twenty-seventh over passing Kent had reduced the hosts to 103/4 with only ten boundaries – And it took until the thirty-second over for the first maximum of the innings and the day.

At the heart of the innings James Franklin and Nick Gubbins stabilised the hosts’ innings and with ten overs remaining were 171/4.

With the final ten overs to bowl Kent were now looking to limit the runs and take wickets to further stem the flow, in particular the wickets of the no established Franklin and Gubbins.

It was Cowdrey who found the breakthrough to end the 78-run partnership as Franklin, moments after registering his half-century presented the ball back to the youngster off his own bowling (50, 175/5).

The bowling change bringing on Ivan Thomas brought about an entertaining over as Gubbins planted a big six on the leg-side to bring up the hosts’ two-hundred, was dropped at leg-slip the next ball.

However the drop proved not to be costly as the next ball Blake found himself well placed as the top-scorer played Thomas over the bowlers head with Blake showing great awareness to slide and take a low catch at long-on (56, 207/6).

Blake was soon involved once again as John Simpson struck Claydon hard but high, finding Blake on the boundary at wide long-on (15, 219/7).

Ollie Rayner and Toby Roland-Jones put on a quick-fire eighth partnership but with eight balls remaining Rayner went as he failed to get enough of a Coles’ delivery, finding Darren Stevens in front of the sight-screen (9, 242/8).

Having crossed over, Roland-Jones faced and repeating Rayner’s shot again found Stevens, but this time the Kent all-rounder dropped the catch and to compound it, the ball landed over the ropes for a maximum.

With the onset of the final over and one last push Kent took the wicket of James Harris, run out on the final ball (2, 260/9).

Kent’s reply was kindly given to them with an opening ball wide.

Openers Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond started well and at a steady rate however in the sixth over Denly fell as he lofted the ball to Robson at mid-on (11, 25/1).

Kent continued to score steadily and at the end of the ten-over power-play were 41/1 – Middlesex 35/1 at the same point earlier in the day.

With Kent bringing up fifty after twelve overs, upon matching the earlier partnership of twenty-five, Kent’s second wicket fell as wicket-keeper Simpson caught well off the bowling of Harris and Northeast was out (17, 50/2).

With Kent looking to continue a steady run-rate and build a strong partnership Bell-Drummond needlessly ran himself out – Franklin the fielder (23, 69/3).

In the twentieth over Sam Billings (22) was dropped by a forward-diving Khan at mid-off with the score tantalisingly poised at 80/3.

The game continued to be finely balanced as nothing could separate the two sides – After twenty and twenty-one overs the scores were tied on 83/3 and 93/3 respectively.

Moving on well Darren Stevens brought up Kent’s hundred with a lofted but safe shot off the bowling of Franklin on the leg-side to the boundary.

Unfortunately for Stevens and for Kent he was soon out as he attempted to hit slow bowler Rayner for a maximum towards long-on but was unable to get enough of the ball as Roland-Jones took a comfortable catch inside the boundary rope (14, 106/4).

At the half-way point in the innings, Kent has amassed 111 for the loss of four wickets, compared to Middlesex’s 99/4 but of note at this point the hosts were reliant earlier in the day with the Franklin/Gubbins substantial partnership – It was now essential Kent could do the same – Billings and Fabian Cowdrey now at the crease.

With a four through the off-side Billings continued his fine form bringing up his half-century – Kent’s wicket-keeper/batsman scoring well off sixty deliveries with seven boundaries.

With twenty overs remaining Kent now needed 124 runs to win – In today’s game of swashbuckling cricket, very achievable.

Moving on well and forming a solid partnership Billings brought about Kent’s one-fifty as he hit Khan for four striking the ball straight back and past the bowler.

However one short of a half-century partnership Cowdrey fell as he edged a wide ball to the grateful Simpson and Kent were five-down (16, 155/5).

And much like the adage of London Buses, Kent lost another and key wicket in Billings as he top edged a reverse sweep for a simple catch by Roland-Jones (68, 157/6).

Blake brought the target down to less than one-hundred with a reverse-sweep but the disastrous spell for Kent continued as they lost three wickets for eleven runs in four overs.

New batsman Matt Coles looked to pull Rayner through the leg-side but missed a straight one and was clean bowled (2, 165/7).

Unfortunately for the visitors wickets were falling too regularly as Blake soon lost his wicket striking out to Malan on the boundary (7, 166/8) in a period of play that had decisively turned the game.

James Tredwell was soon out clean bowled by Roland-Jones (5, 173/9) and Claydon holed to Khan at long-off (2) and Kent all out 173 – Middlesex winning by 87 runs – An unlikely looking (winning) margin before Kent’s middle and late order collapse.

 

Kent: Bell-Drummond, Denly, Northeast ©, Billings (w), Stevens, Blake, Cowdrey, Coles, Tredwell, Claydon, Thomas

Middlesex: Malan, Robson, Compton, Morgan ©, Franklin, Gubbins, Simpson (w), Rayner, Roland-Jones, Harris, Khan

Middlesex: 260/9 (Gubbins 56, Franklin 50, Malan 47; Tredwell 2/24, Cowdrey 2/37, Claydon 2/63)

Kent: 173 (Billings 68; Rayner 4/45, Harris 2/24, Roland-Jones 2/26)

Kent: 0pts

Middlesex: 2pts