Jack Leaning stars with bat and ball as Kent thrash Middlesex

Kent 288 (Leaning 68, Compton 60, Bell-Drummond 58, Higgins 4-33) beat Middlesex 155 (Singh 2-17, Parkinson 2-20) by 133 runs

Ryan Higgins had earlier taken 4 for 33 and Luke Hollman 3 for 53 as Middlesex bowled the Spitfires out in 49.1 overs, however 60 from Ben Compton and 58 from Daniel Bell-Drummond helped the hosts to a complete that Middlesex by no means significantly threatened. Leaning was one among 5 Kent bowlers to complete with two wickets.

Buoyed by Friday’s rout of Surrey at The Oval, Kent deserted their common technique of bowling first after profitable the toss, placing religion of their spinners to defend no matter they posted.

Progress was strong however ponderous throughout a gap stand of 109 and when Compton was dropped on seven by Ryan Higgins off Ishaan Kaushal within the ninth over. Some of the much less affected person residence followers puzzled if it may need been deliberate.

It was an absolute dolly however Higgins then took a much more troublesome likelihood to interrupt the partnership within the twenty first, sprinting in from lengthy on to get Bell-Drummond, after he’d skied a supply from Hollman, who was then denied a second wicket when Leaning was dropped within the slips on six.

It took 79 balls for Compton to hit his first boundary, pulling Ethan Bamber for 4 to succeed in 50 however when he was then out, chipping Higgins to Bamber, his contribution took on a distinct perspective because the Spitfires lurched from 188 for one to 222 for six. Hollman returned to take two wickets in two balls, bowling Alex Blake for 10 after which bowling Harry Finch for a golden duck.

Jaydn Denly was bowled by Higgins for six and James Bazley went for a duck when he wafted Hollman to Martin Andersson. The hosts urgently wanted a counter-attack and the forty fifth over went for twenty-four, with Grant Stewart hammering Andersson for 3 successive sixes, the primary of which was parried over the boundary by Jack Davies making an attempt a catch.

After a stand of 51, the momentum swung again in direction of Middlesex. Leaning hit Kaushal to Joe Cracknell and Stewart was bowled by Higgins for 43. Two balls later Higgins bowled Jas Singh for the third duck of the innings. Matt Parkinson and Hamid Qadri added 12 for the ultimate wicket earlier than the previous was caught by Kaushal off Bamber with 4 balls to spare.

Any disappointment Kent felt at having did not bat their overs melted away as their bowlers swept via the Middlesex high order. Cracknell went within the second over, attempting to reverse-sweep Leaning and wafting him to Bell-Drummond at level.

Bazley then took wickets from successive deliveries. Sam Robson went for twenty-four, caught by Qadri, and Jack Davies edged him behind. Higgins tried to reverse sweep Parkinson and was lbw for 21 and within the subsequent over, the 18th, Mark Leaning bowled Stoneman for 25.

With Middlesex in peril of imploding at 79 for five, Hollman and John Simpson bedded in for the following ten overs, however their stand of 41 ended when the previous was bowled by an unplayable supply from Qadri. Jas Singh had Josh de Caires caught by a diving Bazley for seven and any life like hope Middlesex had of constructing a sport of it went when Qadri had Simpson caught behind for 39 with the ultimate ball of the thirty third.

Andersson swatted the following ball, from Singh, excessive into the south London sky earlier than he was taken by Parkinson and an emphatic win was sealed when the identical bowler had Kaushal caught on the boundary by Denly.

The Spitfires have now received three of their 5 Metro Bank video games whereas Middlesex are but to get off the mark after 4 makes an attempt.