Dawkins, Evison drive Kent to emphatic seven-wicket win

Ben Dawkins struck a sparkling maiden List A century to steer Kent Spitfires to their second Metro Bank One Day Cup victory of the season, beating a youthful Northamptonshire side by seven wickets at Wantage Road as they chased down 244 with 32 deliveries to spare.

The in-form England Under-19 opener struck an unbeaten 111 (105 balls, 12 fours, two sixes), sharing a second-wicket stand of 157 off 181 balls with Joey Evison who made a fine 82 (106 balls, 10 fours, 1 six).

Young guns Aadi Sharma and Stuart van der Merwe (37) starred with the bat for the Steelbacks in a stand of 75 off 87 balls characterised by rapid running between the wickets. Sharma made an excellent 82 (90 balls, 8 fours, 1 six), his maiden List A half-century.

Their stand came after Evison, who bowled his 10 overs straight through, removed Northamptonshire's top order to finish with career best List A figures off three for 36.

Matt Parkinson took two for 50 as Northamptonshire suffered a middle order collapse, before some lower order hitting from Dom Leech (36 off 35 balls), but the hosts' eventual total of 243 all out proved insufficient.

Earlier Luke Procter (15) was caught behind playing at a wide one from Evison. But Sharma was soon into his work, hooking and driving sweetly, although he rode his luck at times.

James Sales fresh from scores of 117 and 98, fell cheaply, adjudged lbw to one that kept low from Evison, while Northamptonshire lost a third when George Bartlett was caught behind off Evison, cutting close to his body.

That brought Sharma together with van der Merwe who tucked into Parkinson's legspin, cutting through cover and swotting him over long-off for six.

van der Merwe reverse swept Jack Leaning, taking Northamptonshire past 100, while Sharma uppercut Corey Flintoff over the vacant slip region to reach 50 off 58 balls.

The drinks break brought a wicket when van der Merwe chipped Leaning straight to long-on, but Sharma continued to attack. He skipped down the pitch to deposit Leaning over extra cover and clipped Flintoff off his legs for six into the old signal box at deep square leg.

The tide turned as Parkinson made a double breakthrough, three wickets falling for five runs in 17 balls. First Parkinson bowled Lewis McManus round his legs before spinning one past off-stump to take the edge of Sharma's bat through to the keeper. Next delivery Mohammad Rizvi trapped Rob Keogh plumb lbw.

With Northamptonshire 171 for seven, Leech found a good ally in debutant Aryaman Varma (30) in an enterprising stand of 59. Leech attacked the spinners, smiting Parkinson over midwicket before sweeping for six, while Varma deployed the cut shot to good effect.

Leech smashed Rizvi straight to bring up the 50 partnership before Jaydn Denly struck twice in two balls, bowling Leech as he attempted to reverse sweep before bowling Yuzvendra Chahal. Fred Klaassen picked up the final wicket, Varma well caught by a tumbling Flintoff at mid-off.

Dawkins started aggressively, punching several boundaries through the off-side and pulling Procter for a straight six. Denly (20) meanwhile sent a huge six flying over deep midwicket off Leech as Kent raced past 50 inside seven overs.

Scoring briefly slowed against spinners Nirvan Ramesh and Chahal with the opening stand of 58 ended by a sensational one-handed diving catch by van der Merwe at cover off Ramesh.

Dawkins reached 50 with a streaky boundary off Varma, while Evison collected boundaries against the spinners as he hit over extra cover, reaching his own half-century with a sumptuous cover drive off Leech.

Runs kept coming for Evison as he smashed over midwicket, while Dawkins reached his ton with elan, pulling van der Merwe over midwicket for six.

Evison crunched van der Merwe for a straight six before he holed out at long-on, Chris Benjamin following soon after in similar fashion off Keogh, but with the target in sight, Dawkins was there to see his side home.