Northeast breeze blows Kent home

PRO40 DIVISION ONE, Canterbury:
Kent 167-6 beat Surrey 110-5 by eight runs (D/L) (Kent 2pts)

Live scorecard

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Sam Northeast hit nine fours in his 67-ball 69

Kent went top of the Pro40 Division Two table as they maintained their unbeaten record with a floodlight and weather-affected win over Surrey at Canterbury.

The game had already been reduced to 27 overs per side because of a bad weather forecast predicting high winds.

But, with Surrey chasing Kent's 167-6, in which Sam Northeast top scored with 69, the floodlights then failed.

And Surrey's 110-5 off 19.4 overs was not enough to prevent an eight-run defeat on the Duckworth/Lewis method.

It enabled Kent's experimental one-day side to defy the odds, as well as their third floodlight failure inside a year.

Veteran umpires George Sharp and Peter Willey were told an hour before the scheduled start that the mobile light pylons, on hire from the ECB, might not be fully extended in high winds because of health and safety issues.

The officials contacted Lord's and it was agreed that the game should be shortened to 27 overs per side.

Kent suffered a similar situation at Hove in July when they were this time the losers on the Duckworth/Lewis method following floodlight failure.

And they were also hampered last August when their Pro40 game against Leicestershire was abandoned as a no result, six overs into the second innings when strong winds also swept the St Lawrence ground.

Fielding second after losing the toss, Kent this time saw the lights retracted after eight overs with Surrey well behind the asking rate. But acting home skipper James Tredwell held his nerve, bowling himself in the fading light to pull off victory.

Batting first after losing the toss, Kent cantered along at more than six an over mainly due to their makeshift opener, 19-year-old right-hander Northeast, who took the man-of-the-match honours for his 69 from 67 balls with nine fours.

The hosts, who rested skipper Rob Key and the majority of their first-choice seam attack, were also without opening bat Joe Denly on duty with England for their ODI in Ireland.

But it took until the penultimate over before Northeast was finally dislodged, aiming an audacious clip over fine leg. But his contribution, together with 20s from Alex Blake, Darren Stevens and James Goodman, had already set Surrey a target that proved well beyond them.

Kent have offered ticket holders free entry to their next Pro40 home game against Warwickshire on 13 September as a goodwill gesture.