Sam Billings and Alex Blake contributed a brilliant partnership of 133 from only 76 deliveries as Kent Spitfires chased down and surpassed Nottinghamshire Outlaws’ imposing total of 335 to win this One Day Cup match by five wickets.
However credit must also go to Mitch Claydon and in particular Matt Coles for their death bowling earlier in the day where six wickets fell in ten balls for only four runs – Coles with a hat-trick, to crucially limit the hosts’ total.
In a high-scoring contest both sides recorded their highest scores against each other in List A Games; The Outlaws surpassing 296/6 (1989), The Spitfires 317/8 (2002).
The Outlaws got the better of the opening exchanges as the opening power-play, restricting The Spitfires to no more than two outside the circle, closed with The Outlaws 72/0.
A solitary Spitfires’ moment came as Mitch Claydon and many around him claimed Alex Hales caught behind (1, 22/0) but the umpire was unmoved.
With the end of the power-play Sam Northeast elected to take the pace off the ball introducing James Tredwell to the attack opposite Darren Stevens and with it, a wicket resulted.
Stevens, so often Kent’s go-to man, did the desired job as Riki Wessels (41) struck-out to Fabian Cowdrey behind square-leg and Notts were 84/1 (12.4).
Struggling on a wicket seemingly doing little to interest the bowlers, the hosts scored runs freely and trouble-free bringing up one-hundred (15.4), with Hales bringing up his half-century (53 balls, 6x4s).
At the halfway stage The Outlaws were 141/1 although in that over The Spitfires found hope – Hales miscuing onto the off-side but the ball falling short of Joe Denly running in from the boundary.
At the end of the over Matt Hunn scored a direct hit at the bowlers end but, scampering, James Taylor was in.
Taylor soon brought up a half century of his own (62b, 3x4s, 2x6s) but soon lost his partner in crime
Needing both wickets and to stem the flow of runs, Northeast made an inspired change at the Radcliffe Road End and with the first ball of Claydon’s new spell Hales played it straight to The Spitfires captain in the covers (81, 180/2).
Claydon was to strike again as the Taylor double-act was ended – Brendan Taylor (18) flailing the bat wildly at a wide delivery outside the off-stump edging to the welcoming gloves of Sam Billings, Notts 210/3.
Returning to the attack Matt Hunn opened his account – The potentially dangerous and explosive Samit Patel – with lightning reactions to catch off his own bowling (4, 225/4)
Unfortunately for The Spitfires the explosive Dan Christian followed Patel and with it the Australian brought his big-hitting style. Despite trying various bowling options, Northeast was unable to stop the runs as the rate rose above and consistently above a run-a-ball.
With Christian moving swiftly towards a half century, Taylor’s relatively pedestrian innings brought about three landmarks in quick succession – Firstly a single off his legs, bringing him to 99, moved The Outlaws onto 297/4 – A new limited overs record for the county against The Spitfires.
In the next over Taylor ran two to bring up his century (105b, 4x4a, 4x6s) with Christian bringing up a quick-fire half century of his own (30b, 5x4s, 1×6).
With Christian looking to finish with a flourish Alex Blake was unfortunate to miss out on a low catch out to the boundary – It was low and Blake had to make up plenty of ground.
Fortunately for Blake, Denly saved his blushes as Christian’s wicket brought about a quite amazing end to The Outlaws’ innings – In a period of ten deliveries those in attendance witnessed four runs and six wickets, of which there was a hat-trick and four in a row.
Christian holed out to Denly on the boundary deep on the leg-side (59, 331/5) – Matt Coles taking the wicket, but he didn’t finish there.
Kent’s opening bowler continued his fine wicket-taking season ending James Taylor’s fine effort with a swift and alert caught and bowled (109, 331/6), Coles ending the over with two wickets in two balls.
At the other end Mitch Claydon continued where Coles left off as Steven Mullaney (0) struck an aerial ball straight to Daniel Bell-Drummond (331/7), bringing about three wickets in three balls.
Despite the next ball going or a single and ‘stopping the rot’, Claydon then clean bowled Brett Hutton (0, 332/8) – Four wicket in five balls.
Matt Coles took the honour of the final over and in looking for his hat-trick Luke Fletcher obliged missing a straight one (0, 335/9) and with the next ball the innings was over.
Jake Ball, knocking the ball down to seemingly get Chris Read on strike, committed cricketing suicide as Coles picked up the ball on his follow-through and ran the No’11 out.
Unfortunately for Coles run outs don’t get accredited to bowlers so he finished with three in a row, a hat-trick, not four, despite a hand in the fourth.
Nottinghamshire therefore ended on 335 and had given Kent a shot at what was looking an increasingly unlikely target.
Opening the innings with a target of 336, Bell-Drummond and Denly started positively striking early boundaries.
However at the end of only the second over perhaps the thought of the substantial target got the better of Denly as he swiped at a wide one outside off-stump succeeding in only edging it to wicket-keeper Read (4, 13/1).
Kent’s captain, looking to establish a solid partnership and lead The Spitfires on their way to victory, succumbed early as Hutton beat Northeast for pace, clean bowling him (10, 44/2)
With the loss of early wickets The Spitfires changed tact as Fabian Cowdrey came in ahead of Billings.
Starting again, the young Spitfires pair put on good runs and at a healthy rate at just in excess of a run-a-ball.
Of particular note Cowdrey reached a personal milestone as a leg-glance for four in front of the press box brought about his five-hundredth run in limited A-game cricket.
The pair brought about a well accomplished half-century partnership off only forty-six balls and also brought about The Spitfires’ one-hundred at the end of the seventeenth over.
Cowdrey brought about a well-earned half century at a time when The Spitfires really needed players to come to the fore with the bat – Coming from 46 deliveries and included eight boundaries (50no, 115/2).
Cowdrey’s cameo ended during a spell of tight and miserly slow bowling by Samit Patel. Looking to keep the scoreboard ticking over, Cowdrey made space for a shot through the off-side but struck it straight at James Taylor at mid-wicket (51, 122/3).
Bell-Drummond followed Cowdrey’s lead as The Spitfires’ opener brought up his half-century – A fine knock from sixty balls and eight boundaries.
At the halfway stage Kent had compiled 140/3 – A fine effort – The Outlaws had reached 141/1 at the same stage.
New batsman Sam Billings carried on where Bell-Drummond and Cowdrey had left off as they put on a strong and quick partnership at the rate of a run-a-ball. Billings in particular playing a variety of shots, including an effective sweep and reverse sweep for boundaries.
Continuing their solid partnership Bell-Drummond brought up the fifty partnership in style with a big blow for six over long-off – The fifty partnership coming off forty-six balls.
Sadly for The Spitfires an Outlaws bowling change bringing Hutton back on, presumably for wickets, worked with his first ball of the new spell.
Bell-Drummond looked to pull a ball just outside off-stump but could only play onto his own stumps (73, 181/4).
With one-hundred balls left to face The Spitfires’ run chase began to stutter with the loss of Bell-Drummond’s wicket requiring another 147 to win – Stevens and Billings both unable to get bat on ball and when they did, they were typically finding fielders.
With fewer than one-hundred balls remaining and the night sky drawing in the run-rate began to creep above nine-an-over.
Billings got out the shackles albeit briefly as he struck four and six – The six over long-on bringing up The Spitfires two-hundred however in trying to push on the score, The Spitfires went five-down.
Stevens, struggling to score runs, looked to hook a Dan Christian ball but could only top edge it to Chris Read (9, 207/5)
Billings, now joined by potential match-changer Alex Blake, soon got their partnership up and running by bringing up his half century – The Spitfires’ keeper/batsman effort coming from only forty-nine balls and included five boundaries and a solitary six.
With just over ten overs remaining, Billings survived a scare after top-edging a ball high into the night-sky however wicket-keeper Chris Read, running round onto the square dived and dropped him (58no, 227/5).
Needing quick runs, The Spitfires potentially had two match-winners in Billings and Blake and the former started to step it up – Striking Patel for sixes in the lower and upper tier of the Radcliffe Rd End and in the same over a four to bring up The Spitfires’ 250.
Shortly after Blake got in on the act and the pair had soon put on a half century in only thirty-three deliveries
With perhaps the pressure mounting on the home side, Hutton bowled a wild bouncer, over Blake but crucially over Read and even more-so, free-hit awarded. However a good length delivery only went for one run.
With fifty-two needed from forty-two deliveries Billings moved into the nineties (93no) clubbing the ball through the leg-side for four, bringing The Spitfires’ target to less than fifty.
Unfazed with the target set and the position the Spitfires found themselves in, Billings was unmoved and striking a four through the cover-region brought up his hundred in only 76 balls with eleven boundaries and three maximums.
The one-hundred partnership arrived for the Spitfires pair – off only fifty-nine balls.
With a boundary from Billings Kent were now on a required rate of a run-a-ball – So unlikely early on in the innings
With Kent homing in on victory, a Blake single brought the score to 318/5 – An A List record score for The Spitfires against The Outlaws.
Billings and Blake continued the onslaught and in the penultimate over brought the game home and Kent won by five wickets – Blake planting a six into the Radcliffe Road End and also ending fifty not out – Billings at the other end not out 118.
Kent now go to Edgbaston on Wednesday giving themselves a great opportunity to progress to the knock-out stages of The One Day Cup.
Nottinghamshire Outlaws: Wessels, Hales, J. Taylor ©, B. Taylor, Patel, Christian, Mullaney, Read (w), Hutton, Ball, Fletcher
Kent Spitfires: Bell-Drummond, Denly, Northeast ©, Billings (w), Stevens, Cowdrey, Blake, Coles, Tredwell, Claydon, Hunn
Nottinghamshire Outlaws: 335ao (J. Taylor 109, Hales 81, Christian 59, Wessels 41; Claydon 4/66, Coles 3/54 [hat-trick])
Kent Spitfires: 340/5 (Billings 118no, Bell-Drummond 73, Cowdrey 51, Blake 50no; Hutton 3/72)
Nottinghamshire Outlaws: 0pts
Kent Spitfires: 2pts