England’s Bell, Troughton and Trott make hay as Kent slip to defeat

Kent Spitfires v Warwickshire Bears Clydesdale Bank 40, Group C
By Mark Pennell
Kent suffered a disappointing start to their Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign by crashing to a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Warwickshire in front of a good Sunday crowd at St Lawrence.
Set to chase Kent“s modest 40-over total of 246 for six, the Bears crossed the line after a leg-side wide by Dewald Nel, the Scotland seamer who suffered an unfortunate home debut.
Despite losing pinch hitter Neil Carter early in their reply, Warwickshire laid sound foundations with a second wicket stand worth 126 in 21 between England team-mates Ian Bell (88) and Jonathan Trott (54) who made the most of a short boundary on the Old Dover Road side of the ground.
Already without injured first choice paceman Robbie Joseph and the resting Amjad Khan, Kent were further hampered by minor scares to Azhar Mahmood and Simon Cook, who both went off for treatment mid-way through Warwickshire“s reply.
Trott went when he toe-ended a drive against Cook onto the base of off stump then Bell, 12 short of a century, holed out to long-off against the part-time off-spin of Martin van Jaarsveld, but Bears remained favourites.
Rob Key switched Nel to the Pavilion End, but still the South African-born seamer struggled for line and length and Jim Troughton cashed in with an unbeaten 56 from 51 balls as Nel“s 7.5 overs leaked 70 runs.
Though Kent lost Key in the sixth over, the responded well with a second-wicket stand of 113 in 22 overs between top-scorer Joe Denly (80) and van Jaarsveld (58).
Both fell to wrist-spinner Imran Tahir in the space of four overs and Kent“s run-rate suffered as a result, until Darren Stevens found his range, hitting five sixes in his 29-ball 50 until the fun ended in the penultimate over of the innings.