Spitfires win home quarter-final after beating Essex

Daniel Bell-Drummond hammered his third Vitality Blast half-century of the season to help Kent to a five-wicket win at Chelmsford, finish second in the southern group and set up a home tie against Lancashire in the last four on August 23 (7pm).

Bell-Drummond was out at the start of the final over for 80 from 51 balls as Kent crossed the line with one ball to spare to record their eighth T20 win of the campaign.

The Spitfires had already qualified for the knockout stages the night before when they beat Somerset by five runs, so their visit to The Cloudfm County Ground was, therefore, to decide venue and opponents for next week’s quarter-final.

Joe Denly and Bell-Drummond set the ball rolling in pursuit of 202 to win with a 98-run opening stand on the ground they compiled a then world-record opening stand of 207 a year ago.

They had fifty on the board inside five overs with both batsmen finding the boundary with some regularity and ease.

Bell-Drummond hit the first three balls of Paul Walter’s second over for two fours and a straight six, and greeted Snater’s introduction with a six in an over that cost 23. Denly also hit Nijjar over his head for a six in his opening over.

Bell-Drummond’s fifty took 27 balls, and included two sixes and six fours. But with the partnership approaching three-figures in nine overs he lost Denly.

The all-rounder, who had earlier chipped in with two Essex wickets for 33, came down the wicket to Nijjar and found Michael Pepper on the long-off boundary. He had contributed 45 from 23 balls, with seven fours and a six.

 Heino Kuhn did not last long before he became Bopara’s victim when he was bowled.

 That brought in captain Sam Billings and he wasted no time in leading from the front.

Nijjar was deposited high over the ropes at long-leg and Harmer well over the midwicket boundary during a 19-ball 33 that took the Spitfires past 150 in the 15th over. He perished when Dan Lawrence took a diving catch as he raced in.

 Bell-Drummond survived a run-out attempt on 69 when Varun Chopra broke the non-striker’s wicket with a throw from the opposite end, but he was adjudged to have just made it back to his crease. With three overs left, Kent required 33 to win, 22 off two.

They lost Alex Blake for 19 as he tried to work Snater off his legs, and Matt Coles snaffled the catch at short fine leg. They were still 20 runs short, but Snater helped them on their way with four wides and they needed nine runs from six balls.

But Bell-Drummond exited with four balls left when held by Snater at deep mid-wicket to give Coles the wicket. However, Grant Stewart stuck the winning boundary from the penultimate ball.

Earlier, Kent won the toss and opted to field with the Eagles’  making 201-6 with Denly, Adam Milne (1-30), Mitch Claydon (1-58) and Calum Haggett (2-26) sharing the wickets.