Flower guides Eagles to title win

Grant Flower hit a quickfire half-century as Essex Eagles claimed the NatWest Pro40 Division Two title with a four-wicket victory over Kent Spitfires.

Zimbabwean Flower made a superb unbeaten 68 from 42 balls at Canterbury to earn himself man-of-the-match honours and Essex promotion to the First Division.

Kent captain Rob Key had earlier made 120 not out in a total of 246 for five but his innings proved to be in vain.

In Essex’s reply, a stand of 113 for the second wicket between Jason Gallian and Ravi Bopara strengthened their innings after Yasir Arafat had bowled Mark Pettini with the first ball.

Gallian played fluently, reaching his half-century from 69 balls with four fours, one of which was a beautiful cover drive off Ryan McLaren.

Grant Flower hits straight on his way to a match-winning 68 not out for Essex against Kent

Buy this photo

But with his score on 51, he edged to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones to give Darren Stevens a wicket in his first over.

Bopara had earlier brought up the first hundred of the Essex innings with a four to backward square leg and went on to reach a half-century from 75 balls before hitting Stevens to short midwicket.

His 59 had come from 83 balls and his dismissal left the visitors 144 for three.

Then, with James Foster run out going for an ambitious third run and Ryan ten Doeschate caught brilliantly on the midwicket boundary by Joe Denly, the Eagles slipped to 188 for five.

But Flower was scoring rapidly and reached 50 from just 32 balls with five boundaries, the Eagles’ second hundred coming up in the 33rd over.

Arafat was brought back for a second spell and he bowled John Maunders in his second over.

But a six, hit over midwicket by James Middlebrook off a slower ball from Azhar Mahmood in the 38th over, eased the pressure on Essex, as they hit eight from the penultimate over to ease home. Arafat and Stevens finished with two wickets each as Essex reached 247 for six.

Kent had started well with their second-wicket pair putting on 113 in 19 overs.

Key and Martin van Jaarsveld were the batsmen and their approach was positive from the start.

Van Jaarsveld’s first of three sixes was a straight-driven boundary in Middlebrook's first over, and his next, over midwicket off Chris Wright, brought up the first hundred of the Kent innings.

Rob Key's unbeaten 120 was not enough to secure victory and promotion for Kent

Buy this photo

Key took 11 runs off one over from Bopara, which included two boundaries.

His half-century soon followed from 71 balls and his partner reached his fifty in style with a six over midwicket off left-arm-spinner Flower.

However, after reaching 61, van Jaarsveld was given run out after much deliberation by the third umpire.

Key, playing fluently, got to 69 by guiding Ten Doeschate to third man and later hit him for fours off consecutive balls to extra cover.

His spate of boundaries continued with three in a row off Ten Doeschate, the first of which brought up the second hundred in the 36th over and the next two – flicked to long-leg – brought up the player’s century off 104 balls.

He continued his assault on Ten Doeschate’s bowling and the 28-year-old’s five overs went for 54 runs, albeit with two wickets.

Graham Napier was hit by a forceful drive from Key and carried off on a stretcher in the penultimate over of the Kent innings.

An X-ray revealed no fracture but he has a bruised ankle.