Somerset defeated Kent by eight wickets on the opening day of the 2022 Vitality Blast to ensure the Spitfires got their trophy defence off to a losing start.

After a tough opening for the hosts which saw the home side slip to 33/4, Jack Leaning hit 72 not out to get Kent up to 162/6, but an unbroken partnership of _ between Rilee Rossouw and Tom Abell ensured Somerset picked up the win with _ balls to spare.

After a tight first couple of balls from Tom Lammonby to get things underway, Zak Crawley scored the first runs off the bat off the third ball with a neat drive down the ground for four.

The England man was soon out however, spooning a delivery from Josh Davey straight to Roelof van der Merwe to bring Joe Denly to the crease.

Tom Abell missed the chance to catch Daniel Bell-Drummond – running backwards from mid-wicket – but misjudged a high ball with the Kent man on 12.

Somerset got their man though in the following over, with Bell-Drummond trying to pull Lewis Gregory, only finding Lewis Goldsworthy at mid-wicket to head off for 12.

Sam Billings and Denly tenderly negotiated the rest of the powerplay, but it was hard going for Kent who were 30/2 after six overs.

And Billings was on his way just two balls later. He walked down the pitch to Gregory, edging his England teammate behind for five to leave his side in all sorts of bother.

Joe Denly was bowled by one that kept low from Ben Green for five from 16 balls, and Jordan Cox was almost out first ball when a thick edge flew past point, just out of the fielder’s reach.

Cox and Jack Leaning rebuilt for Kent, with Leaning hitting two sixes, and the 50 partnership was up at the start of the 14^th over. But Lewis Goldsworthy struck later in the over, as Jordan Cox spooned the off-spinner to Tom Abell at cover for 11.

Kent’s 100 was brought up in the 16^th over thanks to a six down the ground from George Linde, and the South African hit an even bigger one out the ground off the last ball of the over to take Kent to 113/5 from 16 overs.

Leaning’s 50 was up the next ball with another huge six, and both batsmen hit another each as Kent began to take charge.

Linde was caught at long-on off the bowling of Gregory for a 15-ball 29, but Leaning continued the onslaught with support from Grant Stewart, ending on 72 not out to help Kent to 162/6 at the halfway stage.

Somerset openers Tom Banton and Will Smeed got off to a steady start, reaching 18/0 from three overs, but Matt Milnes struck to dismiss Banton for nine off the penultimate ball of the fourth over.

The visitors were in control of the required rate at the end of the powerplay, settled at 38/1 with Smeed and Rilee Rossouw going well.

Smeed though pulled Klaassen to Jordan Cox in the deep for 21, and Rilee Rossouw and Tom Abell initially struggled to get the spinners away, reaching 62/2 at the halfway stage.

Rossouw did lift Qais Ahmad for six, and the 50 partnership between he and Abell was up in the 14^th over.

The 100 was on the board soon after, and a below-average Grant Stewart over threatened to derail Kent with Somerset needing 41 from the final four overs.

Tom Abell hit Qais for 10 off two balls in the 17^th as the required rate started to fall, and Zak Crawley slipping and failing with what looked like an easy gather to stop a boundary summed up Kent’s evening.

The 100 partnership passed, and with one to win off the final over, the winning runs were perhaps poetically hit by Rossouw to signal a losing start to the competition for Kent, with Somerset’s overseas man ending unbeaten on 81.

Somerset’s Rilee Rossouw said: “It was a dream start I guess, I did not  expect it all, I just came here thinking settle in, take it one ball at a time and I remember what the coach said to us at the pre-match briefing. He said especially the batters should take that extra ball as it’s the first game of the season and just play it as you see it.

“We one hundred percent fancied chasing it down. You’ve got to fancy chasing 200. Whatever it is, you’ve got to fancy chasing it down, especially with the youth and the flair that we’ve got in our line-up. I don’t think there’s any target that we can’t chase down it’s just on the day who executes better.”

Kent’s Jack Leaning said: “I think if anything the wicket got a little bit better, it became really wet and dewy towards the back of the game so I think we’ll probably look at that and assess what we maybe do first next time.

“If we’re honest we weren’t quite there in all aspects tonight. I think they played really well with the bat and they bowled very nicely. Probably with the rain we’ve had the last few days it just got a little bit damp, a little bit tacky and it was a little bit two-paced with the new ball. It certainly got easier as the innings went on and the ball got a little bit softer but I think they probably had the best of the conditions.

“Rossouw is obviously world-class, he played really well controlled the innings and picked up a boundary whenever they really needed one, credit to them I thought hey played really well tonight, they’re obviously a pretty good team and we beat them in the final last year so they probably came here wanting to owe us one.”

Kent: Bell-Drummond, Crawley, Denly, Billings, Leaning, Cox, Linde, Stewart, Qais, Milnes, Klaassen.

Somerset: Banton, Smeed, Rossouw, Abell, Lammonby, Gregory, Goldsworthy, Green, van der Merwe, de Lange, Davey.