Kent Spitfires v Essex
Vitality Blast
The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury
Friday 18 July 2025 | 6:30pm start
Team News
Kent Spitfires: Daniel Bell-Drummond, Harry Finch, Tawanda Muyeye, Joe Denly, Sam Billings, Jack Leaning, Joey Evison, Grant Stewart, Fred Klaassen, Nathan Gilchrist, Matt Parkinson.
Essex: Michael Pepper, Paul Walter, Jordan Cox (wk), Charlie Allison, Matt Critchley, Luc Benkenstein, Noah Thain, Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Mohammad Amir, Mackenzie Jones.
Match Details
Umpires: Rob Bailey & Martin Saggers
Match Referee: Simon Hinks
Scorers: Andy Bateup & Paul Parkinson
Toss: Kent Spitfires win the toss and elect to bowl first
Result: Kent Spitfires win by 7 wickets
Match Reaction: Chris Silverwood
Match Highlights
Match Report
The Kent Spitfires are through to the Vitality Blast quarter-finals after a thrilling final evening at Canterbury.
The Spitfires eased to a seven-wicket win over Essex and thousands of fans stayed in the ground to watch Surrey’s nerve-shredding win over Sussex on the big screen, a result that confirmed Kent’s place in the top four.
Kent held Essex to 172 for six after they’d raced to 65 for nought after the powerplay. Paul Walter top-scored with 52 while Charlie Allison hit 48.
A 114-run partnership between, Tawanda Muyeye, who made 80 from 49 balls and Harry Finch, who hit 64 from 35, effectively won Kent the game before Sam Billings hit the winning runs with 16 balls to spare.
A crowd of 5,289 watched Kent initially struggle to contain Essex after putting them in, before Matt Parkinson got a desperately needed breakthrough when Michael Pepper reverse swept him to Klaassen for 28.
Jordan Cox couldn’t repeat his epic innings from Thursday night, bowled by Joey Evison for six and Parkinson bowled tightly to drag back the scoring rate.
Walter hit Denly straight to Harry Finch at square leg and it was 129 for 3 after 17. Gilchrist’s 18th went for 19 but got both Matt Critchley, who scooped him straight to Grant Stewart for 12, and Luc Benkenstein, who sliced him to Parkinson for six.
Allison hit Stewart to Leaning on the long on boundary in the final over, leaving the contest evenly poised at halfway.
Kent were 46 without loss after five overs when Walter came on at the Nackington Road end and took a wicket with his first ball, Daniel Bell-Drummond chipping him to Pepper. They eased to 82 for one at halfway, and Simon Harmer then came in for some punishment, Finch hitting him for successive sixes in an over that went for 19.
Kent were aided by some problematic fielding, including a pivotal moment in the 12th when Finch hit Walter to backward square leg and Noah Thain could only parry him over the rope for six.
Snater then bundled a routine stop over the rope for four and with Kent needing just 17 off the last five overs the chase was devoid of tension, although Muyeye holed out to Critchley and was caught by Benkenstein at the end of the 16th and Mohammad Amir then bowled Finch.
Denly and Sam Billings waited out Amir before the latter creamed Snater for six and hit his next delivery for two to see Kent home.
All eyes switched to the big-screen, which was showing the Surrey v Sussex game, with players and fans alike going through every possible emotion before they erupted when Chris Jordan took a wicket with the penultimate ball and it was finally confirmed they’d reached the last eight, for the first time since 2021.
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The England Men under 19s are playing in a four day Test match at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground this summer!
They will face India Men under 19s, including 14-year old IPL superstar Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who became the youngest player bought in an IPL auction after being selected by Rajasthan Royals. He is also the youngest player to score a century in IPL history!
Day one will begin on July 20 with the final day concluding on July 23.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get yourself down to CM2 to watch the next generation of international cricketers.
