Wharton century drives Yorkshire past Kent and into home semi-final
Jaydn Denly, Ekansh Singh star for Kent but can't stem the tide
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
26-Aug-2025 • 6 hrs ago
James Wharton was in the runs for Yorkshire • Allan McKenzie/SWPIx.com
Yorkshire 301 for 9 (Wharton 118, Imam-ul-Haq 70, Ekansh 3-42) beat Kent 225 (Jaydn Denly 77, Ekansh 71, Bess 4-43) by 76 runs
Yorkshire secured a home semi-final in the Metro Bank Cup after coasting to a 76-run victory over the Kent Spitfires at Canterbury.
James Wharton hit a century as Yorkshire posted 301 for 9 and Dom Bess then took four for 43 as the Spitfires were dismissed for 225.
Wharton hit 118 from 106 balls, while Imam-ul-Haq was the next highest scorer with 70, while Ekansh Singh took three for 42 before making 71 during the Kent reply.
Jaydn Denly was the hosts' top-scorer with 77 but they lost wickets too frequently to sustain a chase and were all out with 5.4 overs remaining.
Yorkshire chose to bat and put on 71 for the opening wicket before Corey Flintoff sent Adam Lyth's off stump flying, bowling him for 28.
Mo Rizvi then bowled debutant Will Bennison for a fifth ball duck, but Wharton and Imam-ul-Haq put on 59 for the next wicket, Ekansh breaking the partnership when he had the latter lbw.
Finlay Bean made a useful 39 before he was run out by Ollie Curtiss and George Hill made just seven when Klaassen had him caught by Jaydn Denly.
Harry Duke hit Ekansh almost vertically and was caught by wicket-keeper Harry Finch for 3 and Ekansh struck again two overs later when he caught and bowled Bess for four.
Dan Moriarty went in similar fashion to Klaassen and Wharton finally fell in the final over when Fred Klaassen had him caught behind, leaving Cliff to take the visitors past 300.
The chase got off to a rough start when Ben Dawkins went for 1, chipping Ben Cliff to Lyth but Kent responded with a 97-run stand that only ended when Bess had Denly caught by Imam-ul-Haq.
Chris Benjamin was then the victim of a brilliant rope-juggle catch by the sub fielder Noah Kelly, after he drove Bess and Joe Denly went for just two, miscuing Dan Moriarty straight to Fin Bean at long off. Curtiss went next ball, lbw for a golden duck on only his second appearance for the Spitfires.
Ekansh also fell to Kelly when he skied Hill and Lyth got revenge on Flintoff when he bowled him for 13.
Bess came back and bowled Finch for a run-a-ball for 32, then got Klaassen two balls later playing on, leaving Mattie Firbank to seal win when Rizvi pulled him to Lyth, his team mates mobbing him in celebration.
