Kent outclass Surrey

Joe Denly sparkled with the bat for Kent, making 98 at quicker than a run a ball

Kent kept alive their hopes of automatic promotion with an emphatic victory over Surrey in their floodlit Pro40 Division Two match at the Brit Oval.

Having amassed a mammoth 314 for six thanks to sizeable contributions from Joe Denly (98) and Martin van Jaarsveld (93), the Spitfires bowled Surrey out for 172 to win by a crushing 142 runs.

Kent, having won the toss, lost skipper Robert Key for 21 in the seventh over, caught by Stewart Walters at slip via an outside edge off Matt Nicholson.

But both Denly and van Jaarsveld scored handsomely in a stand of 178 for the second wicket before the latter was beaten by a direct throw from James Benning. His innings spanned just 69 balls and contained eight fours and a six.

Denly fell moments later, chasing the boundary that would have taken him to three figures as he played on to Jade Dernbach. He has faced 97 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and two sixes.

Darren Stevens and Ryan McLaren added 44 in just 21 balls before Stevens (30) was caught behind off the inside edge as he made room to Jade Dernbach.

Though, McLaren was caught at long-on off Dernbach, who finished with 3-60 off eight overs, and Matthew Walker was undone by a Pedro Collins yorker, Kent’s total was to prove more than enough.

The Brown Caps reply got off to a terrible start, Scott Newman bowled by Robbie Joseph with the second ball of the innings.

Jade Dernbach celebrates bowling Denly for 98 but Kent went on to post 314 for six and win easily

That was soon followed by the dismissal of Benning for five, edging the in-form Joseph to first slip.

Walters drove loosely at Amjad Khan and Usman Afzaal perished in almost idnetical fashion to leave Surrey reeling on 21 for four.

Mark Ramprakash and Jon Batty restored some respectability by sharing a half-century stand for the fifth wicket, before Ramprakash was superbly taken at slip by van Jaarsveld off McLaren,

Batty and Matthew Spriegel’s alliance maintained Surrey’s slim hopes of a remarkable victory, only for Batty to fall one short of his fifty when he was hoisted van Jaarsveld to Denly at deep midwicket.

Nicholson was next to fall, bowled by James Tredwell for two in what could be his last appearance for Surrey - Shoaib Akhtar is due to arrive tomorrow to fill the role of overseas player until the end of the season.

Alex Tudor was soon to follow, caught by Stevens at long-on for five.

Spriegel (54) went on to complete his first half-century in the competition before he too was bowled by Tredwell, who finished with 4-32 after having Collins stumped for four.