CLYDESDALE BANK 40 GROUP C, Canterbury:
Kent 135-3 (16 overs) beat Nottinghamshire 93-9 (16 overs) by 42 runs
Match scorecard

Kent dominated a rain-shortened match to hammer Nottinghamshire by 42 runs in their CB40 clash at Canterbury.

Rob Key and Joe Denly both scored 22 before being run out by Graeme White. Darren Stevens then smashed 49 runs off 35 balls.

In reply, Nottinghamshire were soon in trouble with Ali Brown and Matt Wood dismissed before the score was on ten.

Kent seamer Matt Coles took a CB40-best 3-7 as Notts collapsed to 93-9 off 16 overs, 42 runs adrift.

Heavy rain delayed the start for three-and-a-half hours, but it was Kent who appeared sharper with bat and ball when play finally got under way in front of a small Canterbury crowd at 5.15pm.

Kent posted 45 through Key and Denly, and at the start of the 10th over Martin van Jaarsveld (6) missed an attempted sweep against Samit Patel to have his leg stump pegged back.

But Darren Stevens and Azhar Mahmood tucked into the Nottinghamshire attack to add 72 from 35 balls to set the Outlaws a testing asking rate of 8.5 an over for victory.

Mahmood chipped in with 29 off 15 deliveries and cleared the ropes twice as Paul Franks conceded 33 off his three wicketless overs.

Nottinghamshire got off to a poor start to their run chase and once behind the asking rate, never really recovered their composure.

Brown missed an expansive drive to have off stump plucked out by his former Surrey team-mate Mahmood.

Matthew Wood sliced the next delivery straight into the hands of Matt Coles at point and though Samit Patel survived the hat-trick ball he soon holed out in the deep off Simon Cook.

Top-scorer Alex Hales missed a slog sweep against James Tredwell to go for 21 and Cook struck again by having Chris Read superbly caught by Geraint Jones when stood up to the stumps.

With the light fading faster than Nottinghamshire's victory hopes, Coles put the result beyond doubt by taking three wickets for three runs in the space of five balls.

Kent coach Paul Farbrace told BBC Radio Kent:
"Our big games are the Championship matches against Warwickshire and Hampshire. But winning this game before a week off is really important.

"Notts are one of the best sides in one-day cricket. I think we showed our skills, especially considering we had to sit around for a few hours waiting for the game to begin.

"We started well and kept up a high intensity for the whole of the 32 overs. I thought it was brilliant.

"Darren Stevens sent back a message from the middle saying: 'I reckon 120 is a good score.' We were asking each other if he knew it was 16 overs a side, rather than 20. But as Simon Cook said, three overs from Darren and anything can happen."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version