Kent clinch nailbiting win

Gary Wilson is run out for five, one of three Surrey batsmen to go that way as Kent grabbed a last-gasp one-run victory

Kent pulled off an extraordinary one-run victory over Surrey when the Brown Caps’ last man, Jade Dernbach, was run out off the fourth ball of the final over in an enthralling Twenty20 Cup clash at the Brit Oval.

At the end of the penultimate over the Spitfires appeared to be home and dry, but a six-run penalty for their slow over rate reduced Surrey’s requirement from 14 runs to eight in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 14,500.

The target was whittled down to two runs off the last three balls for the final pair, but Dernbach was run out after attempting a suicidal run to Justin Kemp at midwicket.

Surrey had taken advantage of a hopelessly erratic opening spell from Kent seamer Robbie Joseph to make rapid progress at the start of their reply to Kent’s total of 168 for six, weathering the loss of Scott Newman and Mark Ramprakash in the opening two overs.

Joseph should have been encouraged when Ramprakash edged his first ball to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, but instead assisted Surrey’s cause with three no-balls and a wide in his two overs. His first eight legal deliveries cost 32.

Usman Afzaal was the chief beneficiary, taking 23 off his first eight balls and a third-wicket stand of 87 in nine overs between Afzaal and James Benning kept Surrey well ahead of the required rate.

Afzaal hit 62 off 41 balls, but when he was yorked by former Surrey all-rounder Azhar Mahmood in the 18th over the momentum shifted back to the Spitfires.

They had already been pegged back by a canny spell of medium pace from Darren Stevens, who had Benning caught at backward point and followed up with the wicket of Stuart Walters courtesy of a sharp leg-side stumping by Jones.

Kent were also guilty of a patchy batting display. They lost Joe Denly in the third over, miscuing an on-drive off Andre Nel to mid-on, but made smooth progress in a second-wicket stand of 92 in eight overs between Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld.

Both hit leg-side sixes in leg-spinner Chris Schofield’s first over and Kent were ideally placed at 98 for one at the halfway mark, but van Jaarsveld, who made 54 off 32 balls, and Key both holed out to extra cover as Grant Elliott, Matthew Spriegel and Nel all applied an effective brake.