Hughes sets up Sussex, Lamb five-for skittles Kent

Sussex Sharks comprehensively beat Kent Spitfires by 34 runs in the Vitality Blast at Canterbury.

Daniel Hughes top-scored with 48 as Sussex made 195 for 9, despite no one passing 50.

Kent's Nathan Gilchrist took 3 for 31 and Harry Finch then hit his highest Blast score against his former county, making 56 off 25 balls, but when he was out the chase fell apart. Danny Lamb took key wickets at crucial moments, claiming 5 for 15 and Tymal Mills claimed 3 for 20. Lamb wrapped up the win with two balls to spare when he bowled Fred Klaassen.

Kent lived to regret putting Sussex in. The visitors were 30 without loss when Jack Leaning bowled Harrison Ward for 11 at the start of the fifth but Hughes then blazed 48 from 28 balls and although Tom Rogers bowled him at the end of the tenth, the Sharks were 112 for 2 at halfway.

Wickets at least slowed the scoring rate. Joey Evison bowled James Coles for 12, hitting off and middle, and Tom Clark was furious with himself when he tried to scoop Gilchrist to fine leg and was lbw for 43.

Klaassen looked as surprised as anyone when he had Tom Alsop caught behind for 15, given by the square leg umpire Nigel Llong, John Simpson tried to hook Gilchrist and was caught on the boundary by Rogers for 12 and Rogers bowled Nathan McAndrew for 5. The 19th over, however was expensive, going for 18. Gilchrist bowled a wide, had Lamb caught behind off a bottom edge, then bowled three no-balls, one of which was a head-high beamer.

Not for the first time this season Kent missed the cut off, but Mills was run out by Billings and Klaassen help them to six off the 20th, despite the last ball being fumbled over the boundary for four.

Sussex looked favourites, especially after Coles bowled Tawanda Muyeye for 7 in the second over, but the Hastings-born Finch came in and blasted 50 off 21 balls before Henry Crocombe had him caught by Hughes at third man.

The momentum switched again, this time for good, when Joe Denly was bamboozled by Lamb's slower ball and bowled for 3. Crocombe then took a stunning catch to get Daniel Bell-Drummond for 26 after he skied Lamb, sprinting in from the boundary and somehow keeping the ball off the turf.

Mills got Sam Billings for 16, caught on the boundary by Coles and Evison holed out to Lamb and was caught by Robinson. When Mills bowled Leaning for 16, Rogers was left with the tail and the run rate was nearly 15 an over. Mills got him for 4, caught at short third man and the crowd started streaming for the exits.

Klaassen and Gilchrist needed a theoretically possible 36 off the last over, but Lamb bowled Gilchrist off the first ball and clinched the win when he cleaned up Klaassen three balls later.