Kent Spitfires overpower Essex Eagles to earn place in t20 quarter finals
Friday 15th July 2011
Kent 183 for 3 beat Essex 168 for 9 by 15 runs to earn place in the Friends Life t20 quarter finals
A formidable team performance from Kent Spitfires at Chelmsford has seen them go through to the Friends Life t20 quarter finals, defeating Essex Eagles by 15 runs.
Essex won the toss and elected to bat second. Joe Denly was instrumental to the Spitfires’ innings, making a solid start with 69 from 54 balls and hitting five fours and three sixes. Rob Key went for 21, before Azhar Mahmood increased momentum with his 31 from 19 balls. Darren Stevens (41 not out) erased any doubts, and took Kent to 183 for 3, hitting three fours and three sixes.
The match was not without controversy, with New Zealand international Scott Styris claiming to have caught Stevens early in his innings, only for the third umpireto rule it not out.
In reply, Essex lost regular wickets; Stevens claimed 4 for 21 from four overs, and the reliable pairing of Wahab Riazand Mahmood in the final two overs limited Essex Eagles to 168 for 9, with Styris (40) the top scorer for Essex.
An excellent and well deserved win for the Spitfires, who will face Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road in the Friends Life t20 quarter finals.
Click here for the ECB Match Report
Photo by Sarah Ansell fromSarahCanterbury.com