Kent Spitfires v Essex Eagles
Vitality Blast
Thursday 02 August
The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence, Canterbury
Kent Spitfires Team | Denly (6), Bell-Drummond (23), Khun (4), Billings (7) (c & wk), Blake (10), Stoinis (17), Dickson (58), Haggett (25), Milne (20), Quayum (11), Thomas (5).
Essex Eagles Team | Wheater (31), Chopra (6), Walter (22), ten Doeschate (27) (c), Lawrence (28), Bopara (25), Harmer (11), Coles (1), Siddle (64), Zampa (88), Porter (44).
Toss | Kent Spitfires, who elected to bat
Umpires | Rob Bailey & Michael Burns.
Result | Kent Spitfires win by 28 runs.
Match Highlights:
Match Report:
Essex Eagles crashed to a 28 runs defeat when they were dismissed for 163 in the Vitality Blast match with Kent Spitfires at Canterbury.
Chasing 192 for victory, the Eagles lost openers Varun Chopra and Adam Wheater for 4 and 0 respectively inside the first three overs with 13 on the board before Ryan ten Doeschate and Paul Walter staged a revival.
The pair put on 64 in seven overs before ten Doeschate, having scored 34 from 25 balls, lost his wicket when he dragged a delivery from Calum Haggett onto his stumps.
Then Walter, playing his first T20 match of the summer, fell in the next over when he drive to mid-off to end a 25-ball innings worth 40 runs. That departure left the visitors 83 for 4 in the 11th over.
Ravi Bopara and Dan Lawrence added a quick 24 but by then, Essex were chasing the game.
Lawrence, batting with a runner (Wheater) was caught at long-off for 8 but Bopara clubbed 3 sixes and 2 fours on his way to 42 before he became one of four wickets for paceman Adam Milne.
That left the Eagles 148 for 8 but Milne claimed out the remaining wickets to finish with 4 for 15 from his 4 overs with only Matt Coles offering any resistance with 19.
Earlier Sam Billings with an unbeaten 56 underpinned the Spitfires challenging total of 191 for 4. The Spitfires captain and wicket-keeper arrived at the crease in the 9th over and faced 39 balls striking 1 six 6 and 6 other boundaries and figures in a century stand of 110 in 11 overs with Kent newcomer Marcus Stoinis who made 47.
The pair led a recovery by the home side from 79 for 3 in the 8th over and the partnership was only ended when Stoinis was run out in the final over when, going for a second run but failing to beat the throw from ten Doeschate. Stoinis had faced 33 balls and struck 3 sixes, two in succession when facing Simon Harmer.
The first wicket pair of Joe Denly and Daniel Bell Drummond put on 43 in 5 overs before a wonderful catch by Lawrence ended the partnership. Stationed in the deep, Lawrence appeared to be running over the ropes but neat footwork allowed him to knock the ball up inside the field of play before completing the catch to send Bell-Drummond on his way for 19.
That was the first of two wickets for Adam Zampa who had Heino Kuhn caught by Wheater for 22 on his way to figures of 2 for 31.
The other wicket-taker was Simon Harmer (1 for 39) who had Denly caught at long on by Walter.
