A rapid 90 run partnership between Darren Stevens and Alex Blake was the highlight as Kent Spitfires beat Surrey by 21 runs in the T20 on Friday night.

Kent put on a great show in front of over 4,000 fans packed into the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in Canterbury as they closed out their final 2014 group game with a win, however it wasn’t enough to see them through to the quarter final stage.

Surrey came to Canterbury with their big guns on show as the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Tillakaratne Dilshan filled the visitor’s side, although they were to be upstaged by the heroics of the Kent team.

Going into the game, the Spitfires made one change to the side that had beaten Sussex Sharks the week before with the fit again Doug Bollinger coming in for the rested Adam Riley.

As for Surrey, they had to make a very late change to their team with Jason Roy having to sit out with a thigh strain, picked up during the warm up, allowing Steven Davies to come into the side.

It was Kent captain Rob Key that won the toss and he had no hesitation in batting first in the glorious Canterbury sunshine.

Kent looked to make a fast start against the experienced bowling pair of Dilshan and Azhar Mahmood, back to face his former side, and it was the latter that dismissed Key for 14, as he attempted to smash his fourth boundary in the second over, instead picking out Davies at cover.

In at number three, Sam Northeast was to last just eight balls before falling for two as he danced down the wicket attemtping to smash Dilshan, but went straight past it and Rory Burns whipped off the bails.

Needing to rebuild at 28 for 2, Kent elected to send Fabian Cowdrey in at number four and the young batsman was quickly into the action. Along with Daniel Bell-Drummond, the Kent pair looked to knock the ball around, but the latter was to scoop one from Dilshan straight up in the air when on 17 and Davies took the simplest of catches.

Cowdrey had a real let off as he was dropped by Zafar Ansari in the deep, but perished not long after as the Surrey man made no mistake off Gareth Batty’s bowling to dismiss the Kent batsman for 11.

At 65 for 4 and half of the Kent overs gone, it seemed that a big score could be a little beyond their reach, but a ninety run partnership between Darren Stevens and Alex Blake elevated the home side to a position of strength.

The right and left hander were at first content to work the ball around, but then begun to plunder boundaries at ease with Stevens especially brutal against Batty and Azhar Mahmood.

Stevens was to bring up his fifty off just 33 balls, bringing up the half century with a four, six and six off Batty.

The 150 came up with two big sixes from Stevens off Mahmood, but he perished for 67 trying to hit a third in the over picking out Kevin Pietersen on the long on boundary.

Blake stepped up to the plate following Stevens’ dismissal as he too looked to smash the Surrey attack around, moving quickly to 45 and he looked to bring up his fifty in style, but picked out Steven Davies in front of the benches, taking a juggling catch right in front of the rope.

The final over saw Sam Billings run out for 8 as Kent looked to squeeze every last run out of their 20 overs and in the end closed on 175 for 7 setting Surrey a stiff run chase.

That chase looked to be an easy one for the visitors at one stage as Dilshan and Davies opened up, smashing Stevens for sixteen in the opening over.

With forty runs on the board at the end of the fourth over, Davies chipped Ben Harmison up in the air to the waiting hands of Stevens at mid off, dismissing the Surrey man for 20.

That brought Kevin Pietersen to the wicket to a chrous of boos and cheers and he didn’t disappoint when it came to entertaining the crowd, although he had to largely take second fiddle to Dilshan who looked in ominous form.

The Sri Lankan batsman plundered 46 off 30 balls, but had slowed up a lot before he was dismissed by Stevens, edging through to Mitchell Claydon at a short third man position.

At 95 for 2, Surrey were still in pole position, but somehow managed to throw the game away, ably assisted by some superb tight bowling from the Kent attack.

Pietersen and Gary Wilson looked to knock the ball around, but failed to find the boundary at regular intervals and took the side to 119 for 2 with five overs to bowl, piling pressure on those to follow them.

In the very next over that pressure began to tell as Pietersen looked to smash James Tredwell, but instead picked out Darren Stevens at mid on, walking off with just 32 under his belt.

Azhar Mahmood strode to the crease at number five for Surrey and already the run rate was beginning to climb and a superb over from Claydon all but put the game to bed.

First he had Mahmood bowled for just one and the very next ball Burns picked out Cowdrey on the edge of the circle, taking a fine catch. Wilson survived the hat-trick ball as the batsmen had crossed and Claydon was left cursing his luck as Harmison dropped Wilson in the deep, but later in the over Robin Peterson was run out by Billings for just two as he ran down the pitch oblivious to where the ball had gone off his bat.

Wilson was to be bowled by Tredwell for 31 in the very next over and with his departure went Surrey’s chances of winning the game.

Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty played out the last two overs of the game, but by that point it was almost academic with the run rate beyond their reach.

In the end Kent were to claim the 21 victory that ensured they finished the South group with two wins, but finish sixth in the league, two points off the Quarter Finals places.

They will now switch their attention to the new Royal London 50 over Cup which starts with on Tuesday with a clash against Durham at Canterbury with play to start at 2pm.

Kent Spitfires won the toss and elected to bat.

Kent Spitfires side: Key, Bell-Drummond, Northeast, Cowdrey, Stevens, Blake, Billings, Harmison, Tredwell, Claydon, Bollinger.

Surrey side: Davies, Dilshan, Pietersen, Wilson, Burns, Mahmood, Peterson, Ansari, Batty, Meaker, Edwards.

Umpires: JH Evans & RT Robinson

Result: Kent Spitfires 175 for 7 (Stevens 67, Blake 45; Mahmood 3-43), Surrey 154 for 7 (Dilshan 46; Claydon 2-27, Tredwell 2-35).

Kent won by 21 runs.