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Kent Spitfires win by five wickets at Hampshire in Royal London One-Day Cup thanks to Joe Denly century and Matt Coles' 6 wickets

20:50, 26 July 2016

Kent Spitfires rekindled their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign as Joe Denly struck a century and Matt Coles claimed six wickets in a win at Hampshire on Tuesday night.

Red-hot Daniel Bell-Drummond (91) and Denly (104) smashed Kent to a five wicket win to boost their quarter-final hopes.

Joe Denly. Picture: Barry Goodwin.
Joe Denly. Picture: Barry Goodwin.

Former England batsman Denly continued his impressive recent form with a chanceless century, his sixth in List A cricket.

Future England batsman Bell-Drummond - fresh from his heroics for the Lions the previous day - helped him amass 203 for the first wicket, a highest first wicket stand against Hampshire, and notched his highest List A score for Kent.

The pair looked unstoppable and were on course for a 10 wicket annihilation, needing just 230 for victory, but three wickets in seven balls halted the charge as Kent suffered an inexplicable collapse to 216-5.

Bell-Drummond, who survived a caught behind appeal early on, was the first to depart when he picked out Tom Alsop on the boundary rope.

Four balls later Brad Wheal, on his Hampshire 50-over debut, took his second, getting Denly looping one up to Sean Ervine.

Skipper Sam Northeast was then lbw to former Kent man Ryan McLaren and Darren Stevens was well caught by Mason Crane to give Wheal a third and send a panic through Kent.

Lions man Sam Billings (5) pulled tamely to Gareth Berg to put Wheal on a hat-trick but Alex Blake and Will Gidman steered the visitors to victory with 39 balls to spare.

Earlier Northeast had put Hampshire in, and despite a solid 38-run stand to kick-start the innings, they haemorrhaged wickets regularly.

Alsop was the first man to depart caught behind and he was quickly followed back by opening partner Will Smith who dragged on from outside off stump.

Ervine added a stodgy 21 before attempting to ramp over his shoulder but was caught at extra cover.

Adam Wheater gave the hosts hope with a half century, from 56 deliveries, during a useful 61 run partnership with Liam Dawson.

But in the 31st over both departed in exactly the same way, Coles grabbing his first with Wheater hooking across to Blake, who was also on hand when Dawson fell into the same trap three balls later.

From then on it was the Matt Coles show on his former home ground as he yorked Lewis McManus and had Gareth Berg slashing away from his body.

Coles had his fifth when Gareth Andrew chipped to extra cover, and with his final delivery pulled off a remarkable reaction caught and bowled to see off McLaren – who had quietly scored 43.

It was the second time Coles took six wickets in a List A fixture, finishing this time with 6-56.

Wheal was the last to depart to a slower ball from Mitch Claydon, to give Hampshire a derisory total of 229, which never looked enough once Denly and Bell-Drummond got going.

Kent return to ODC action against Gloucestershire at Canterbury on Sunday, having visited Surrey in their final T20 on Friday night.

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