Kent Spitfires kept their hopes of YB40 qualification alive with a well-deserved 39-run win against Worcestershire Royals.

Rob Key starred with the bat, making his second century in the competition this season, as he hit 112 after Kent had won the toss and elected to bat. He was well supported by Sam Northeast, who hit 93 and helped put on an opening partnership of 182 with the former captain.

Fabian Cowdrey carried his impressive T20 form into his first YB40 appearance, as his quickfire half century helped Kent post an imposing total of 289 at New Road, a score which Worcestershire struggled with throughout their innings.

Key and Northeast both started positively, and it was the latter who struck Kent’s first boundary of the innings with a six off Jack Shantry in the third over. From then, however, Key took over, punishing the bowlers and hitting boundaries at will. Kent’s 50 came up inside seven overs, and after ten overs the Spitfires had reached 71 without loss.

Worcestershire seamer Gareth Andrew bowled only two overs before having to leave the field, which, combined with the Kent openers’ attack on the Worcestershire seamers, meant that their captain Daryl Mitchell had spin on at both ends by the 11^th over.

Key brought up his fifty off Moeen Ali from just 42 balls, with seven fours, in the twelfth over, offering only one half chance to Brett D’Oliveira on the way, with a tough caught and bowled chance in the previous over.

The Spitfires brought up their 100 in the 15^thover, and Northeast brought up his half-century with a boundary in the 18^th, from 46 balls. Kent had moved onto 140-0 at the halfway stage of their innings, with a 300+ total on the cards.

Rob Key continued his assault, with none of the bowlers safe from his boundary hitting, and brought up his second YB40 century of the season off D’Oliveira in the 24^th over, from 83 balls with 12 fours and one six.

The former captain would then be the first man to fall for Kent, caught on the boundary by Ross Whiteley off Ali’s bowling. Darren Stevens was promoted up the order to number three, as Kent looked to keep up the run rate, but he fell for just two, with Moeen Ali again the bowler. Brendan Nash also didn’t trouble the scorers too much, trapped lbw by Brett D’Oliveira for 11, as Kent’s progress understandably slowed with the loss of wickets, moving onto 213-3 in the 32^nd over when Fabian Cowdrey made his way to the crease.

His introduction had some historical importance – a latter generation example of D’Oliveira bowling to Cowdrey – and the young Kent batsman wasted little time in making his mark at the crease, scoring at a quick pace throughout.

As Cowdrey took control, Northeast seemed to slow up slightly, and would perish short of his century as he tried to accelerate the run rate, caught by Thilan Samaraweera off the bowling of Shantry for 93 from 89 balls.

Matt Coles (1) and Geraint Jones (3) also fell cheaply as the end of the innings neared, but Cowdrey continued to take the attack to the home bowlers, and reached an excellent fifty from the last ball of the innings with a six – his knock coming from just 30 balls, with five fours and two sixes.

Chasing an improbable 290 to win, the Royals knew they would have to take the attack to the Kent bowlers from the off if they were to have any chance of claiming the victory.

Skipper Daryl Mitchell and star batsman Moeen Ali started relatively well, before Ali (20) was dismissed in the fourth over, caught at deep square leg by Matt Coles off the bowling of Mark Davies.

Number three Alexei Kervezee was given a lifeline after Geraint Jones dropped a simple chance behind the stumps, before being dismissed later in the same Coles over, caught at deep midwicket by Sam Northeast for just 4, leaving the Royals stumbling at 38-2.

Mitchell was joined at the crease by Sri Lankan batsman Samaraweera, and the two made decent progress before Worcestershire’s overseas signing edged Davies behind to Jones, standing up to the stumps, for 22 in the 13^th over. Tom Fell was the new man in, but made just five before being caught at long on by Coles off the bowling of Tredwell, leaving Kent well in control with the home side at 97-4.

Ross Whiteley was another who didn’t last too long, Tredwell again with the wicket as he took a caught and bowled change which saw him running back towards long off, the batsman dismissed for 3.

Having missed much of the Spitfires’ innings, Gareth Andrew then made his way to the crease, and together with Mitchell made good batting progress. It would be Adam Riley who got the big wicket, trapping the Royals captain Mitchell lbw for a well made 68 from 66 balls. He then got rid of the aggressive Andrew in his next over, caught at midwicket by Tredwell for 43 from 34 balls, leaving Worcestershire at 170-7, still needing a further 120 runs in the final 12 overs to pull off an unlikely victory.

Ben Cox and Brett D’Oliveira came together at the crease, and looked for a short while like giving their side a sniff of victory as they put on a swift partnership of 54, before Mitch Claydon had D’Oliveira caught by Stevens for 28.

The on-loan seamer then had Cox caught by Key for 26 in his next over, and Matt Coles brought an end to proceeding with the penultimate ball of the innings as Shantry was bowled for 14, leaving the Worcestershire Royals 250 all out, giving Kent an important 39-run win in which the wickets were well shared around with five bowlers picking up two each.

The victory means that Kent now occupy second place in Group A, and have a good chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the YB40 as best runners-up from the three groups. They stay on the road to take on Northamptonshire on Tuesday, before returning home to Canterbury to face bottom-of-the-table Warwickshire on Thursday evening.

Kent won the toss and elected to bat.

Worcs side: Mitchell, Ali, Kervezee, Samaraweera, Fell, Whiteley, Andrew, Cox, D’Oliveira, Shantry, Morris.

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

Result: Kent Spitfires 289-6 (Key 112, Northeast 93, Cowdrey 52 no.; Ali 2-54) beat Worcestershire Royals 250 (Mitchell 68; Claydon 2-29, Riley 2-33) by 39 runs.