Prior leads Shark attack at the St Lawrence Ground

Sussex (159-6) beat Kent (144-8) by 15 runs

Kent won the toss and elected to field. England wicket-keeper Matt Prior (89) scored the majority of Sussex’s 159 for 6, hitting nine fours and two sixes in his 59 ball innings.

Kent struggled to field in the setting sun, and two dropped catches off the bowling of Darren Stevens contributed to Prior’s impressive innings. The Spitfires were missing Simon Cook, who had suffered a hand injury in the warm up. Geraint Jones pulled off a fantastic catch to take Lou Vincent for just six runs, and Rob Key eventually caught the man of the match, Matt Prior.

Kent made a slow start to their innings, with only Rob Key (12) and Azhar Mahmood (18) reaching double figures. Darren Stevens (65 not out) put the Spitfires back in contention with a blistering performance late in the match, including a big six which smashed into the Chiesman Pavilion, much to the excitement of the crowd. But, it was too little too late and the Spitfires finished on 144 for 8; 16 runs short of a win, with Sussex’s Umar Gul (26 for 3) the best of the Sussex bowlers.

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For Scorecard click here