Kent 177 for 3 (Bell-Drummond 54, Billings 50*) beat Hampshire 176 for 6 (Vince 84, Stewart 4-32) by seven wickets

Kent Spitfires handed Hampshire Hawks only their second Vitality Blast defeat of the season when they beat them by seven wickets at Canterbury on Sunday.

James Vince hit a blistering 84, but the South Group leaders were held to 176 for 6, having been 97 for 1 at halfway: Grant Stewart took 4 for 32.

Daniel Bell-Drummond was Kent’s top scorer with 54 and he put on 95 for the opening wicket with Harry Finch, who made 45. Sam Billings got Kent across the line with an unbeaten 50, sealing the win when he glanced Sonny Baker for four with eight balls remaining.

Kent chose to bowl and Vince dominate the opening stand: Toby Albert was still on four when he reached 50.

Albert offered the first real chance but Jake Lintott couldn’t cling on to a violent return chance when he was on 13. However, he’d only added three more when he drove Joe Denly to Zak Crawley at long off.

Stewart then bowled Vince with his second delivery, before he bowled Joe Weatherley for 24 as he attempted a heave.

Hilton Cartwright was on 2 when he set off for a single and went down with what looked like a serious leg injury. He was able to continue after several minutes of treatment, but hadn’t added to his score when he hit Stewart to Dudgeon at long-off.

Ben Mayes clubbed Stewart for six but miscued the next ball to Crawley. Klaassen then held Hampshire to just four from the final over – with Bell-Drummond running out Tristan Stubbs with a direct hit as he tried to get a second off an overthrow.

Bell-Drummond was dropped by Stubbs when he was on 43 and had hit Fuller to midwicket. Although he eventually holed out to Liam Dawson and was caught by Fuller, at that point Kent were over halfway home.

The run rate began to climb and Crawley went for an uncomfortable, seven-ball 4, bowled by Chris Wood off a full toss, but Billings lifted some of the pressure in the 15th, with two ramped sixes off Baker, which were followed by three wides.

In the 16th Billings reversed Dawson for six and four, but Wood kept Hampshire in it when he bowled Finch for 45.
However, Joe Denly hit Scott Currie for six at the start of the 18th and Billings finished the job.