Warwickshire Bears dragged Kent out of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with them as they completed a trio of wins at the Rugby School Festival, the latest coming by 76 runs.

Put in, the Bears were all out for 263, leaving 29 balls unused. Vansh Jani unfurled a sparkling, List A-best 98 (85 balls) but nobody else reached 40 against an attack which kept taking wickets at important times, led by Matt Milnes (four for 52).

The target appeared chaseable, but Kent replied with a moderate 176 all out in 33.4 overs. Their already slender qualification hopes were torpedoed by a blistering four-wicket opening burst from Ethan Bamber (four for 29) and finished off by Tazeem Ali (three for 37).

Grant Stewart (41, 34) and Ekansh Singh offered some resistance with 40 (42) but Warwickshire completed their 50-over programme in symmetrical fashion with a fourth home win to sit alongside four away defeats.

After Kent chose to bowl, Milnes struck twice in his new-ball spell. Rob Yates lifted a drive to point and Zen Malik’s off-stump landed halfway back to wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin.

Kai Smith (36, 45) and Jani added 55 in nine overs before Smith was neatly caught down the leg-side by Benjamin off Singh.

Jani accelerated to a 39-ball half-century, his fourth in five innings, and dominated a stand of 88 in 13 overs with Alex Davies (22, 31) but Kent’s spinners applied a brake with three wickets in six overs.

Davies nicked Matt Parkinson behind, George Garton cut Jaden Denly to cover and Jani, to his mortification, two short of a maiden List A century, chopped Denly to short third. Jake Lintott (32 not out, 38) and Michael Booth (28, 27) offered some late runs but Milnes returned to bowl the latter.

To the delight of most in another excellent crowd, the Rugby Festival having again proved an unqualified success, Kent then lurched to 23 for five in the seventh over.

Bamber’s second over brought two wickets in four balls as Ben Dawkins chipped to fine leg and Sam Northeast edged behind. Daniel Bell-Drummond skied Olly Hannon-Dalby to third before Bamber struck twice more in his fourth over as in-duckers did for Benjamin, lbw, and Denly, bowled.

Singh and Harry Finch (31, 38) ended the collapse with a stand of 60 in 11 overs. They played and missed plenty during an excellent spell from Jake Lintott on what is likely to be his last appearance for Warwickshire, but Finch perished when he lifted Tazeem Ali to long on and Lintott harvested deserved rewards when Singh and Joey Evison lofted to long off.

Stewart smote Michael Booth for three successive sixes but it was too little too late and Kent accompanied Warwickshire out of the competition.

Warwickshire batter Vansh Jani said:

“It was quite tricky at the start and we lost a couple of early wickets but then I had a nice partnership with Kai Smith and in the last few games I’ve been batting with Alex Davies and really enjoyed it. We complement each other very well.

“I felt good out there so it would have been nice to get my first List A century, especially having been so close in the last game, but hopefully I can get one before the end of the season in red-ball cricket. It was nice to end the comp with some runs.

“I’d like to think I’m in contention for the championship team, if not straight away then at some point this season. I would love to be part of it and help the team win the championship come the end of the season.”

Kent all-rounder Matt Milnes said:

“At halfway we were very much in the game but I think we knew that the new ball was going to do a little bit. If we could get through that first six or seven overs we could have built a nice platform but Ethan Bamber bowled very well. He put the ball in a good area and the ball did just enough although I think we are disappointed with the way we counteracted that.

“It wasn’t the ideal start but then we started to get ourselves back in the game but when you lose that many wickets early on it’s hard to recover.

“I think Rugby School is a brilliant venue. The wicket was good. There was a bit in it for the bowlers but as a batter you got real good value for your shots. It’s quite small with one little pocket to aim for so you have to defend that wisely as a bowler but I think the set-up is brilliant.”