Kent Spitfires defeated Surrey by 11 runs on Friday night to move to the top of the South Group in the 2021 Vitality Blast.
Bowler Adam Milne took a hat-trick off the final three balls of the game to see the Spitfires home after batsmen Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning had both hit scores in excess of 50 to help Kent to 191/4.
Surrey opener Will Jacks managed 87 runs from 54 balls in the chase, but his side ultimately fell short in the match between the oldest rivals in county cricket.
Kent captain Daniel Bell-Drummond won the toss and opted to bat first, naming an unchanged side from a 10-wicket defeat against Somerset on Monday. Surrey, meanwhile, brought in Jordan Clark for Ben Geddes.
Will Jacks opened the bowling and picked up Kent Bell-Drummond with just his second ball; LBW with the opener trying to play off the back foot.
Zak Crawley survived a lofted effort with the ball flying just out the reach of cover, but then Joe Denly burst into life with two sixes from Kyle Jamieson’s first over.
Kent took 10 more from Jacks’ second over as Crawley and Denly began to build a partnership, and they did just that until Crawley was bowled by Jordan Clark for 24 just before the end of the powerplay.
The hosts were 46/2 at the end of said powerplay and Denly and Jack Leaning built slowly but surely, milking the spinners until Denly was caught in the deep for 36 trying to pull a Gus Atkinson short ball.
The hosts reached 83/3 at the halfway stage and Gareth Batty and Daniel Moriarty began to apply a bit of pressure with the ball throughout the middle overs. Kent’s 100 was brought up in the 14th over however, with a big six down the ground from Jordan Cox off Kyle Jamieson.
Cox and Leaning began to take off the shackles with Cox the aggressor, hitting the returning Atkinson for six down the ground off the first ball of the 16th over. Four more brought up the 50 partnership between the two batsmen and another boundary took Cox to 39 from 18 balls – 18 came from the over in total.
Kent passed 150 in the 18th over with a dragged six from Jack Leaning, and Jordan Cox almost took out the scoreboard with another maximum two balls later. The new Hundred recruit reached his 50 a ball later from 24 balls featuring four fours and three sixes.
Jack Leaning’s 50 followed, from 39 balls with four fours and one six, but he holed out the next ball to Jamie Overton.
Alex Blake made his way to the middle and he and Cox helped themselves to 19 off the final over with the latter finishing unbeaten on 61 from 28 balls. The Spitfires posted 191/4 from their 20 overs, a total they would have fancied their chances at defending at the halfway stage.
Adam Milne opened the bowling for Kent and yielded 18 runs from his first over, with three fours and a six coming off the bat of Will Jacks.
Two more boundaries followed from Joe Denly’s opening over as Jacks raced to 27 from nine balls, and Surrey – more Jacks – continued to counter until Fred Klaassen bowled Jamie Smith for nine off the first ball of the fifth over.
Jacks carried on the charge however and hit Milne for back-to-back fours to move to his 50 from 22 balls with 10 fours and one six to his name.
The visitors were 63/1 at the end of the powerplay and continued to put the pressure on Kent’s seam bowlers. A couple of half chances went begging for Kent and Surrey were 92/1 at the halfway stage, leaving themselves 100 to win from 10 overs.
The 50 partnership between Jacks and Evans passed as the duo brought up Surrey’s 100 in the 11th over as the visitors kept up with the rate with ease.
Jacks went past his highest T20 score of 70 and looked destined for a century until Fred Klaassen returned to have him LBW for 87. A fantastic knock from the opener however, with 15 fours and one six.
The required rate slowly started to rise as Zak Crawley came within inches of catching a Jamie Overton effort, and the all-rounder was soon on his way for six, caught by Qais Ahmad at long off off the bowling of Milne having never looked comfortable.
Surrey required 34 to win from two overs and Kent got off to the worst possible start with Klaassen bowling a no ball six first ball of the 19th.
The Dutchman recovered well however and left Adam Milne 18 to defend off the final over.
And defend he did. After a single, single and four off the first three balls, Milne bowled Ollie Pope, had fellow New Zealander Kyle Jamieson caught in the deep and Evans caught by Crawley to pick up a hat-trick as see his team over the line by 11 runs.
Kent’s Adam Milne said after the game: “It’s my first ever hat-trick so it’s special. We’ve always had tight, nail-biting games against Surrey.”
“With the bowling I got us off to a horrendous start but Fred (Klaassen) bowled really well and the last ten overs we managed to claw it back and close it out quite nicely, taking some wickets through the back end and bowling some tight overs.”
“After the first ten overs I felt a little bit like the Somerset game where we were battered all round, but Qais (Ahmad) bowled brilliantly well to keep (Surrey) in check for his four overs, which was remarkable bowling to that small side.”
“He kept us in it. It was a bit of a horrendous hat-trick, they were all slot balls! Jameson’s went to the moon and back so it was a good catch from (Jack) Leaning. I was surprised it even came down it was that high, I thought it had snow on it.”
Surrey’s Laurie Evans said: “I thought the way that we started with the bat was outstanding. Jacks is turning into one of the best in the country at the top of the order and it’s just great to see him keeping going in this tournament.”
“I felt like we had it in the bag the whole way and we just didn’t finish it off. It’s bitter to swallow at the minute. Credit to Jordan Cox, he played a blinder there and it’s just one of those days.”
Kent moved to the top of the South Group with the victory, with 15 points to their names from 11 games. Three games remain in the Spitfires’ bid for a home Quarter Final.