Match Report: Middlesex Panthers v Kent Spitfires FLt20, Uxbridge
Sunday 7th July 2013
Former England Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rossington smashed a competition-best 74 as Middlesex enjoyed a nine-wicket Friends Life t20 win over Kent at Uxbridge.
In pursuit of Kent's 140 for six, Dawid Malan got Middlesex off to a flying start by driving two boundaries in Vernon Philander's opening over.
Fellow opener Rossington, 20, top-edged a six over the keeper's head in Philander's second over, and then by taking four boundaries in an over from the South African's replacement Darren Stevens.
At the end of their six powerplay overs Middlesex had raced to 58 without loss.
Rossington pulled a Matt Coles bouncer for six and drove the next, a length ball, on the up to the extra cover ropes to post his maiden t20 half-century from 28 balls with seven fours and three sixes.
His luck ran out on 74 when, in attempting to reverse sweep James Tredwell, he dragged the ball onto his stumps to go for a career-best score.
The dismissal ended an opening stand worth 103 with Malan, who carried his bat for an unbeaten 31 to see the Panthers home in tandem with Joe Denly (33 not out).
Batting first after losing the toss, Kent also lost both opening batsmen in the first 20 balls of the game.
Rob Key ballooned a catch to mid-off when working to leg against Toby Roland-Jones then Sam Northeast miscued an attempted pull against Kyle Mills to pick out Neil Dexter at mid-on.
Twenty20 veteran Stevens and Sam Billings joined forces to help Kent regroup and post their 50 within seven overs.
Stevens then clubbed Ravi Patel for six over mid-wicket, but the young left-arm spinner gained instant revenge by having the batsman held at long on by Malan for 25.
Billings (22) followed six balls later to make it 67 for four when he nicked an attempted run down to third man against Dexter into the gloves of Rossington.
Former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, making his FLt20 season's debut having been rested for Kent's opening three games, chipped in with 22 from 20 balls before dragging a pull shot onto his own leg stump to give Roland-Jones figures of two for 19 .
Kent reached three figures after 14.3 overs as Middlesex dropped catches to gift lives to both Alex Blake and Philander, but the South African failed to cash in when he holed out to Adam Voges at deep mid-wicket to go for eight.
The Panthers completed a poor display of ground fielding when Dexter dropped Coles in Mills' final over of the innings.
Blake clattered the last ball for four to top score for Spitfires with 37 from 34 balls, and was the pick of the Kent batting.