The Kent Spitfires beat 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.
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