Bell-Drummond shines again to set up Kent win

Kent 231 for 6 (Bell-Drummond 68, Northeast 64, Gregory 3-37) beat Somerset 136 (Thomas 3-31) by 95 runs
Scorecard

Kent secured their second Royal London Cup win of the South Group campaign after easing aside Somerset by 95 runs during a squally afternoon in Canterbury.

Kent posted a creditable 231 for 6 from their reduced allocation of 30 overs after half-centuries from Daniel Bell-Drummond and skipper Sam Northeast, a total that proved way beyond the remit of an out-of-sorts Somerset side.

Gloom, rain, thunderstorms and bad light dominated the morning, but umpires Jeff Evans and Steve Garrett finally deemed conditions playable at 2.30pm and Kent, having lost the toss, made the best of tricky conditions.

In-form openers Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond posted 56 for the first wicket before Denly, on 12, top edged an attempted pull to mid-on.

Bell-Drummond, whose stunning early season form must have caught the eye of the England selectors, marched on to a 39-ball 50 with seven fours, but the England Lions' batsman holed out to long-on to make it 128 for 2.

Kent skipper Northeast shouldered the batting responsibility thereafter, hitting an elegant 64, while those around him perished in the pursuit of rapid runs.

While Northeast plundered five fours and a six, his colleagues struggled to provide fluent support on a pitch that had been dulled by the earlier showers, Billings, fresh from a stunning unbeaten ton against Glamorgan, succumbed for 29 but with a useful 36 from Darren Stevens Kent set a testing target of 232 to win.

Run-rate pressure and a pitch enlivened by the rain soon took its toll on Somerset's top order and the match was as good as sorted once Kent reduced their visitors to 44 for 4. Billings took a stunning catch low to his right to account for Johannes Myburgh off the bowling of Matt Coles, then Darren Stevens snared Adam Hose leg before to make it 35 for 2.

Stevens clipped the top of Jim Allenby's off pole to send him packing for a golden duck then, once Somerset danger man and former Kent all-rounder, Peter Trego, holed out to cow corner off the bowling of Fabian Cowdrey, the result was as good as assured.

Matt Coles bagged two, and Ivan Thomas secured 3 for 31 as Somerset's middle order subsided in the face of an overwhelming asking rate.