ESSEX Eagles won the NatWest T20 blast derby clash at Canterbury by six wickets on Wednesday evening.
Ravi Bopara smashed 81 not out form 44 balls on a belter of a pitch at the St Lawrence Ground, well assisted by Eagles skipper Ryan ten Doeschate, who made 47.
Kent skipper Rob Key won the toss and batted first on a batsman's paradise. And it didn't take long for the captain and Daniel Bell-Drummond to hit their stride, smacking 16 off Tymal Mills' first over, the third of the innings, as the Spitfires raced to 28-0.
Key took a fancy to the short leg side boundary, sweeping Tom Phillips for four in the 5th over. Bell-Drummond then got down on one knee and heaved Phillips leg side for a huge six as Philips went for 21 off the over.
The wiley David Masters was bowling well for Essex and it wasn't until his third over that he was hit for a boundary, a massive six lofted by Rob key into the New Dover Road car park.
At halfway, Kent were 97-0 and were aiming for more than 200 but Essex hauled themselves back into the game with some excellent bowling.
Key brought up his 50 off 34 balls in the 2th over as Kent hit New Zealand international Jesse Ryder for 16 in his first over.
Bell-Drummond couldn't quite reach his half century as he was dismissed for 48, nicking behind off Tymal Mills for an explosive 48 from 38, ending an opening stand of 119 between him and Key.
The captain went at the end of the same over for a majestic 62 from 40 balls, missing a pull shot off Mills with the score on 124-2.
Darren Stevens was pushed up the order to number three but made only six before he was castled by Masters at the start of the 15th over.
Alex Blake also made six before he was dismissed, brilliantly caught and bowled by Eagles skipper Ryan ten Doeschate off a top edge that came down with snow on it.
The two Sam's – Billings and Northeast – were now together at the crease but it was the former who started brightly, crashing a couple of fours through the off side off ten Doeschate.
Northeast took a while to get going but soon joined the party, lofting a six of Topley in the penultimate over. Billings also hit two fours in the same over.
Billings was dismissed first ball of the 20th over, chopping on to his stumps for a quickfire 26 off 19. Adam Ball came in for the last five deliveries and hit two fours - one smashing pull shot that split two Essex fielders and one huge edge through to third man – as Kent posted 185-5.
The Eagles' reply got off to the worst possible start when Mark Pettini – who had survived a massive lbw shout the ball before – had his stumps re-arraged by Darren Stevens for a duck to leave Essex 0-1 after one over.
Jesse Ryder had seen enough by 1.2 overs and hit Adam Riley for three boundaries in the second, before Tom Westley repeated the trick in Stevens' second over, hitting three identical on drives as Essex raced to 27-1.
Ryder was teeing off, carting David Griffiths for a monstrous six over mid-on then hitting a four in the fourth over.
Ryder looked in the mood for a big score, but it was disaster for Essex in the fifth over when the Kiwi was run out. Westley called for a run that was never there to mid off, sent Ryder back and Adam Riley threw a direct hit leaving the batsman well short and Essex were 54-2.
That became 61-3 when Westley was brilliantly stumped by Sam Billings. He snaffled a Stevens leg side delivery and whipped off Westley's bails in over number six.
Ryan ten Doeschate was dropped in the ninth over by Bollinger at long on and in the eleventh by Tredwell as Kent started to feel the pressure.
The momentum was with the Eagles, ten Doeschate nearly holed out to Bell-Drummond but the ball dropped just short off Adam Ball's bowling, who only conceded five from the 12th over.
Kent tightened their bowling, going for only 11 in the 13th and 14th overs combined but ten Doeschate relieved the pressure with a huge six of Bollinger in the 15th over which went for 17.
Bopara reached his 15th T20 half century off 30 balls in the 17th over but ten Doeschate was out next over, caught by Adam Riley at third man off Griffiths for an excellent 47 off 29 balls.
Bopara hit Tredwell for successive fours in the 18th over to leave them needed 12 from 12. Bopara smashed a six off Griffith's in the 19th and the Eagles got over the line with an over to spare.
