The Kent Spitfires routed Surrey by 86 runs in the Vitality Blast at Canterbury to end a disappointing campaign on a high note.

Kent’s 217 for five was their highest ever score against Surrey, with Tawanda Muyeye hitting 61 from 31 and Daniel Bell-Drummond 58 from 36.

They then produced the kind of stifling fielding display their fans have been longing to see all summer, skittling the South Group winners for 131 in 16 overs.

Matt Parkinson claimed three for 23 and Jas Singh three for 27.

This may have been the deadest of dead rubbers, with Surrey already guaranteed to finish top and Kent certain to come bottom, but it remains the oldest rivalry in cricket and after being put in, openers Bell-Drummond and Muyeye made an electrifying start.

Muyeye became only the third Kent player, after Carlos Brathwaite and Marcus Stoinis, to have cleared the Frank Wooley Stand in a Blast match when he hit Will Jacks for six over long on and Bell-Drummond was just as aggressive before he holed out to Matt Dunn, Tom Lawes taking a brilliant running catch on the boundary, to end a stand of 108.

Lawes then bowled Muyeye, but Sam Billings blasted 37 from 16 before Dunn had him caught on the cow corner boundary by Cameron Steel.

Steel then got Marcus O’Riordan for six thanks to a full-length diving catch by Jamie Overton and Tom Rogers, promoted up the order after some recent pyrotechnics, played on to Dan Lawrence for a duck.

Kent went 19 balls without a boundary until Jack Leaning hit Chris Jordan for successive fours in the 18th and he finished the innings with a six off Jordan to set the third highest Kent score at Canterbury.

The WASP predictor had Surrey at just 20 percent at the start of the chase but this seemed low as Will Jacks and Dom Sibley put on 36 from the first 16 balls.

Nathan Gilchrist, however cleaned up Jacks for 20 and Sibley swiped Singh to Leaning on the square leg boundary for 18.Dan Lawrence made 17 before pulling Leaning to Harry Finch and Finch then caught Rory Burns in the deep after he miscued O’Riordan for 21.

The scoreboard pressure began to tell and Surrey struggled for boundaries. Parkinson duped Laurie Evans into a swipe and was caught by for four Gilchrist at backward point, Leaning bowled Overton for two and Jordan made just six before he pulled Parkinson to Muyeye.

When Sam Curran hit Parkinson to Leaning at long on for, the game was effectively up. A lifter from Singh had Lawes caught behind for five and Kent’s biggest ever Blast win over Surrey was confirmed when Dunn pulled Singh to O’Riordan at mid-wicket.

Surrey’s Chris Jordan said: “It was obviously not a good night for us, but full credit to Kent. We won the toss and bowled first because we felt like it was a very good wicket but obviously they took advantage in the powerplay and got off to flyer.

“We kind of dragged it back but they finished off the innings well and then everything has to go right in our innings. They fielded well, they bowled well and they deserved the win.

“There’s a couple of way you can go about (the chase.) You assess how they’re getting their runs, the gaps they’re hitting. I thought they played some really good shots tonight and put us under pressure, credit it to them, they got a very good total and defended it well.

“You could probably put it down to scoreboard pressure but I thought we started really well in the powerplay, going at tens, but then everybody got out. When they took a shot on they probably middled it a bit more than us and got it over the boundary and every time we took a shot we kind of toed it and it went to hand. It happens like that because I thought we were right in it.

“We’re definitely looking forward to the quarter-final. We’ll debrief after this loss but it doesn’t take the shine off what’s been a brilliant campaign to get a home quarter-final.”

Kent’s Jack Leaning said: “We said this morning that it’s not been our comp so far, but actually we can finish with a bit of a high. They’re a very good side. I think tonight really showcased what we can do when we play as a team and when we come off together.

“Everybody dovetailed with the bat and the way the boys bowled and fielded was a real example of what we can do, so hopefully they’ll be a bit more of that in the 50-over comp and a bit more of that in the T20s next season.

“It is a little bit bittersweet to be honest, when you see what you can do and what you’re capable of as a group it’s a little bit like ‘I wish we’d just done that a bit earlier, but that’s the way sport goes sometimes. We’ve struggled to perform as a group but towards the back end of the T20 there’s been signs of people coming back into form, bowling well and the way we’ve fielded as a unit has been a lot better as well, so hopefully that’s a good sign going into the 50-over comp.

“Tawanda has looked red hot in the last couple of games and it’s a shame he’s going to The Hundred really because I wish he was playing with us in the 50-over comp, but he’s going there and I hope he plays really well. He’s one of the best young players in the county and when he plays like that there’s not many people that can stop him, as he showed against a really good Surrey bowling attack tonight.

“It was hard watching at the start when I was inured because it’s the best time of the year with the crowds. I probably didn’t do myself justice, well actually I definitely didn’t do myself justice in the first half of the games I played in, so I was really determined to make an impact in the comp, even if it is a so-called dead game.”