Yorkshire Phoenix gave their worst
performance of the season under the Canterbury floodlights last night as they plunged to defeat by six wickets with 14 overs remaining against Kent Spitfires.
Craig White's men seem short on inspiration at the moment and they were outbatted and outbowled by Kent, who inflicted their eighth Totesport League defeat in ten matches - the two wins coming against rock-bottom Scottish Saltires.
Yorkshire could only muster 165 for four off their 45 overs and knew they would have to bowl out Kent if they were to win the match.
Deon Kruis and Tim Bresnan, bowling to an attacking field of four slips at times, both turned in excellent spells but luck was certainly not with Kruis and he had Martin van Jaarsveld dropped in the third over by Anthony McGrath at third slip as well as seeing several other edges evade fielders.
Bresnan eventually got van Jaarsveld caught at third slip by Michael Lumb and Kruis deservedly had Matthew Walker caught behind in the next over to make Kent 42 for two.
But Andrew Hall and Darren Stevens then put on 64 in 14 overs before Hall fell lbw to John Blain for 46.
Runs suddenly came thick and fast as Stevens lashed Richard Dawson for three consecutive fours to reach his half-century and Justin Kemp also helped himself to three boundaries in the next over from Blain.
Stevens gave himself too much room to cut Dawson and was bowled for 52 off as many balls but the biggest hitting was still to come, Kemp blasting Ian Harvey for a six, three fours and a three in one over to win the match with 42 off only 25 balls.
Winning the toss and batting first in
glorious weather, Yorkshire's batting had crumbled to a series of casual strokes.
None of the top batsmen were able to hold the fort for long and they were saved from total disaster by wicketkeeper Simon Guy, who came in at 116 for seven and
made a career-best 34 not out. This overtook his previous best score of 29 against Leicestershire Foxes last summer and came off 37 balls with three fours and a
six.
The only earlier fluency had come from leading run-maker Lumb, who smacked three fours in an over from Joseph and had struck five boundaries in his 22 when he cut the same bowler to backward point where he was caught by Walker.
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