Sharks beat defending champions Kent

Tom Alsop hit a scintillating 65 not-out from 30 balls in his first T20 innings for Sussex as they beat defending champions Kent at The 1st Central County Ground.

Alsop, on loan from Hampshire, hauled the Sharks up to 171 for 5 at the First Central County Ground and the home side then ran out winners by four runs as the Spitfires reached 167 for 7 in reply.

Overall, Sussex were impressive in the field, with Ravi Bopara picking up two for 23 from his four overs, and ultimately it was Alsop’s earlier surge with the bat that proved decisive.

The left-hander smashed three sixes and six fours after coming in at No 5, and it was a first Blast win of the campaign for Sussex following defeats against Glamorgan and Gloucestershire. Kent’s previous two group losses were against Somerset and Essex.

Qais Ahmad was Kent’s best bowler with two for 23 with his leg spin, but the holders’ reply started badly with Daniel Bell-Drummond bowled for a first ball duck by a beauty from Delray Rawlins that turned sharply to hit the top of off stump and Zak Crawley out for two from the first ball of the second over, gloving a lifter from Steven Finn to the keeper.

 Kent had rallied to 46 for two by the end of the six-over powerplay but Billings was deceived on 31 by a yorker from Bopara that hit him on the boot, and the Sharks T20 captain struck again in his next over, the 11th, by having Joe Denly caught at long off for 33 from a low full toss.

Luke Wright did his best to get the innings going, lofting Linde’s slow left arm for six over long off and later adding two more sixes to long on off Qais in the next over, the eighth, and heaved again over long on against the same bowler in the 13th over.

But from the next ball Wright hit Qais to long off, and his dismissal for a 34-ball 43 left Sussex on 90 for four.

Ravi Bopara was next to fall for Sussex, but then in stepped T20 debutant Tom Alsop.

Alsop immediately showed his aggressive intent by reverse hitting Linde for two fours before targeting Kent’s quicker bowlers as 68 runs were plundered from the last five overs.

Matt Quinn was pulled for four and six in the 18th over, Klaassen twice thumped straight for sixes in the 19th while Milnes, after bowling a waist-height no ball, saw Alsop take advantage of the subsequent free hit to glance to the fine leg ropes – a shot he repeated four balls later as 17 runs came from the final over, which also included a wide.

George Garton provided Alsop effective support down the other end, making 12 and running hard between the wickets, rotating the strike to give Alsop as many chances possible to find boundaries, and that he did. 

The home side will be delighted to have gotten off the mark at their third attempt and will now look to back up today’s impressive victory with a win away at Somerset on Wednesday.