Kent Spitfires ended their YB40 campaign with a defeat on Bank Holiday Monday with the Notts Outlaws winning by five wickets at Canterbury.

A century partnership between England batsmen Alex Hales and Samit Patel was more than enough for the Outlaws as they comfortably chased down 196 to win with ten balls to spare.

It was Kent captain James Tredwell that won the toss and elected to bat first, but they came up second best against the league leaders.

Sam Northeast’s stay at the crease lasted just the five balls before nicking Harry Gurney through to Samit Patel at second slip for just two.

After the troublesome start, Key and Nash went about their business quite quietly, finding it hard to get the ball off the square at first, but picked up the run rate after the powerplay overs were up.

Having survived a run out appeal in the 19th over, Rob Key’s innings ended on 41 in the next over when he was give out nicking David Hussey behind to Chris Read who was up at the stumps. The former captain looked less than impressed to have been given out with the ball seemingly having missed the edge of the bat.

At 82 for 2 at the halfway point of the Spitfires innings, Kent were still finding it a little too hard to get the ball to the boundary. The arrival of Darren Stevens to the crease increased the run rate with all-rounder happy to pick off the bad balls.

Nash was to fall just three runs short of his half century though as he chipped Jake Ball to David Hussey at mid on as he looked to lift the tempo.

With Kent 130 for 3 off 30 overs, Stevens decided to put his foot down, but fell on the first ball of the 31st over as he slammed Samit Patel down to Mullaney at long off for 27.

Geraint Jones’ stay at the crease lasted just five balls before he was given out lbw to Patel for one, leaving Kent 135 for 5 in the 33rd over.

Both Cowdrey and Adam Ball looked to up the rate with the batting powerplay taken in the final five overs with Ball eventually out for 22 off just 18 balls as he looked to launch Shahzad, but Patel took a decent catch over his shoulder at mid off.

At 174 for 6 and two overs still to come, Kent had their eyes set on a score over 200, but had to settle for closing on 195 for 6 with Fabian Cowdrey unbeaten on a brisk 39.

After a brisk start by England openers Michael Lumb and Alex Hales, Mark Davies was finally rewarded for some tight bowling when he picked up the wicket of Lumb off a wide.

Wicketkeeper Geraint Jones was alert to the fact he had left his ground and quickly whipped off the bails with the Notts opener dismayed to see he had lost his wicket for 28 and the side were 42 for 1 in the 7th over.

Tight bowling from Mark Davies was rewarded at the end of the 11th over as he got James Taylor to nick behind to Geraint Jones who again was up to the stumps for 6 leaving Notts on 57 for 2.

With over 4,500 packed into the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence for the final day of the 162nd Canterbury Festival week, Hales breezed past fifty off just 55 balls as he showed all the class that has seen him grace the England T20 side in recent years.

Despite some incisive bowling from James Tredwell and Adam Ball in the middle overs, Outlaws batsmen Hales and Patel were able to knock the ball into the gaps keeping well ahead of the required rate.

Employing the services of seventh bowler of the afternoon, Fabian Cowdrey, Kent skipper James Tredwell was unable to stem the tide of runs with Hales and Patel comfortably picking off the bad balls with the Outlaws reaching 150 for 2 in the 30th over.

Patel was to pass fifty himself at the end of that same over off just 60 balls as the one time England all-rounder looked to impress in front of the Sky cameras, with he and Hales bringing up the century partnership in the next over.

Into the batting powerplay and James Tredwell finally broke the partnership as Patel tried to launch him over long on but picked out substitute Ben Harmison who was on the field for Rob Key who’d picked up a slight hamstring strain, ending his innings on 59 with Notts still needing 32 off 46 balls.

Australian David Hussey was to be the next man in, but he lost Hales shortly after for 74 as he pushed for a quick second run.

A quick throw from the deep by Adam Ball saw the ball into the stumps and Geraint Jones swiftly whipped the bails off to send the Notts batsman back for 74.

Hussey and Riki Wessels were more than able to knock the ball around to see the Outlaws through to almost the end of the game with Wessels caught by Adam Ball in the deep off Stevens for nine as he tried to hit the winning boundary.

In the end, the Outlaws won with 10 balls to spare as David Hussey smashed Adam Ball down the ground for six leaving the Spitfires to reflect on a season that is full of promise and frustration.

Kent Spitfires won the toss and elected to bat first.

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

Notts Outlaws side: Hales, Lumb, Taylor, Patel, Hussey, Wessels, Read, Mullaney, Shahzad, Ball, Gurney.

Result: Kent Spitfires 195 for 6, Notts Outlaws 199 for 5. Notts won by five wickets.