An impressive 71* from Maddie Blinkhorn Jones gave Kent their third Blast win of the season as they defeated Leicestershire Foxes by 51 runs at Kibworth.

Blinkhorn-Jones’ 71*, her highest List A score, came from 52 balls, including nine fours. She came to the crease in the first over with Kent already two wickets down and, with support from Kelly Castle who made 56, took Kent to a solid total of 161 for 4 from their 20 overs.   

The Leicestershire reply initially looked potentially competitive after their powerplay, but wickets fell regularly and the Kent bowlers kept a lid on the run-rate with no over conceding more than eight runs. Sydney Gorham was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 18 from her four overs as Leicestershire limped to 110 for 7 from their 20 overs.

Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Kent had a disastrous first over, losing both openers caught behind from Emma Thatcher’s bowling.

Kent went into their shell for the rest of the powerplay, playing defensively and looking to gradually accumulate without losing further wickets. After six overs, they were 28 for 2, having hit only two boundaries.

In the seventh over, bowled by Holly Whitfield, Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones looked to increase the scoring rate with consecutive fours, but Rachel King was then dismissed for a very watchful nine runs from 21 balls.

Blinkhorn-Jones and new batter Kelly Castle spent the next few overs rebuilding and consolidating while Leicestershire continued to bowl well, keeping the run-rate below six runs an over.

Kent began to accelerate in the 12^th over, moving from 61-3 to 123-3 across five overs. Blinkhorn-Jones was the main aggressor, reaching her 50 from 40 balls in the 15^th over. Castle, meanwhile, was content to go at about a run a ball, but likewise grew in aggression, relying mainly on the sweep shot to pick up her boundaries.

The Kent batters were slowed slightly by some tight bowling from Caitlin Chissell and Indira Singh, but the pair reached their hundred partnership in the 18^th over from 66 balls.

Castle reached her fifty in the penultimate over, which went for 16 runs, including two fours as Kent reached 156-3 with one over left.

Singh bowled an excellent final over, conceding no boundaries and just five runs. She also clean bowled Castle who was attempting a reverse hit.

Kent ended their innings on 161 for 4.

The Leicestershire reply started brightly as the openers moved to 25 for 0 from the first three overs, including four boundaries.

Gorham made the first breakthrough as she had Foxes skipper Becki Brooker caught behind for 10 in the fourth over.

Gorham struck again two balls later, dismissing Holly Whitfield, who was caught by Amy Gordon without scoring.  

Hollie Young picked up opener Ellen Watson’s wicket in the next over – clean bowled for 11. The Foxes had gone from 25 for 0 to 29 for 3 in the space of ten deliveries.

Leicestershire ended their powerplay on 34 for 3.

Young had another victim in the seventh over. Sophie Grayson was bowled for 9, which left the Foxes in a tricky situation at 40 for 4. They still needed 122 runs with 13 overs remaining.

After a couple of wicketless overs, where the batters looked to rebuild, leg-spinner Izzy James struck with a ball that turned sharply, drew Chissell out of her crease and ended with Blinkhorn-Jones smartly removing the bails.

After ten overs, Leicestershire were 57 for 5, still needing 105 to win from the final 60 balls.

Lucy Weston looked to be the most likely to take on the Kent bowlers, hitting boundaries off James and Megan Belt. However, she played a shot too many and top edged a sweep that was caught by Young to give Belt her first wicket.

The Horses kept a tight grip on the run-rate as Gordon, Belt and James got through their overs, offering little for the Foxes batters. Leicestershire only managed a single boundary in the final eight overs of their innings.

Batters Singh and Scotland International Nayma Sheikh found it very difficult to score fluently, with their strike rates hovering between 50 and 70.

The Foxes reached 100 runs in the 19^th over, but hopes for victory had been long extinguished.

Gorham sent down the final over for Kent and picked up the wicket of Singh, who was caught at deep midwicket by Gordon for 25 from 36 balls.

Leicestershire ended their innings on 110 for 7, giving Kent a convincing win by 51 runs.

Picture supplied by Kent Cricket.