Kent Spitfires booked their place at T20 Finals Day on Friday evening with a convincing 21 run win over Birmingham Bears at Canterbury.
On a sticky wicket, the Spitfires posted 162/7 majorly in thanks to half centuries from captain Sam Billings and vice-captain Daniel Bell-Drummond, and a confident bowling performance including 4/24 from Matt Milnes ensured Kent would be at Edgbaston on September 18.
Birmingham captain Will Rhodes won the toss and opted to bowl first, with Kent skipper Sam Billings saying he was happy to bat. He marked his return to captaincy in style, too, leaving out fan favourite Darren Stevens in favour of an extra batter in the side.
Kent openers Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond hit seven from the opening over, before Chris Woakes struck with his fourth ball to dismiss England teammate Crawley for just four.
Woakes almost had two pretty much straight away, but Tim Bresnan dropped Joe Denly at slip off his first ball. The first four of the innings followed off the helmet of Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Bell-Drummond then whacked Danny Briggs for back-to-back sixes, but Bresnan picked up Joe Denly for 11 when the Spitfires’ number three pulled a slower short ball to Jake Lintott at deep square leg.
The score was 46/2 at the end of the powerplay, and Bell-Drummond, along with captain Sam Billings, continued to tick over nicely past 50 and to 76/2 at the halfway stage.
Bell-Drummond swept Woakes for his third maximum on his way to 50, from 35 balls and including one four and three sixes.
The 50-partnership passed but then Bell-Drummond was out. After Billings drove down the stumps, Lintott ripped out the remaining two with ball in hand with Bell-Drummond well out his crease. He was out for 53.
Leaning was then almost run out, but Lintott dropped the ball and Billings was almost stumped with neither he nor wicketkeeper Michael Burgess picking Lintott’s googly. The 100 was up in the 14th over.
Jack Leaning was caught and bowled by Craig Miles for seven having never looked comfortable as the Spitfires’ innings threatened to stutter, but Billings continued to anchor things with back-to-back fours to finish the 15th over.
Alex Blake was caught off Bresnan for eight, but Billings took himself and Kent past 50 – his half century coming from 34 balls with eight fours – during 16 off Chris Woakes’ last over, but he was caught by Woakes off Bresnan for 56 in the last over.
Jordan Cox holed out to Sam Hain next ball, but Adam Milne dealt a huge six over the leg side boundary to help his team past 160 to close on 162/7.
Joe Denly got the Bears’ reply underway and conceded just three runs from his opening over. Adam Milne then backed that up, conceding four.
Hose released some early pressure in sweeping Denly for six, but the very next ball he ran past one and Sam Billings whipped off the bails to send the Birmingham man on his way.
Chris Benjamin however scooped his first ball for four and hit back-to-back boundaries off Fred Klaassen to get Birmingham going.
He scooped Matt Milnes for four more but hit the next ball straight up. Milnes gratefully accepted the return catch to send Benjamin on his way for 11.
40/2 was the score at the end of the powerplay, and although Milnes dropped Sam Hain on one, Qais Ahmad bowled Yates for 19 to leave the Bears 44/3.
Jack Leaning trapped Sam Hain LBW for five to put Kent firmly in control. The Bears passed 50 in the ninth over but lost Rhodes also to Leaning, but this time off a rank full toss, which clean bowled the Bears man.
54/5 was the score at the halfway stage, but Qais Ahmad got in on the full toss action, with Michael Burgess picking out Crawley in the deep after another rank delivery. Kent didn’t care though and were well on their way.
Alex Blake caught Chris Woakes at long on off the bowling of Milnes, which brought Jacob Lintott to the middle. He found himself with 12 from four, and Bresnan started to back him up with a big leg side six off Milne.
Lintott played some shots and made his way to 41 from 19 balls but was bowled off the last ball of the 19th over to leave the Bears needed 25 from the final over to win.
Milnes then took the wickets of Tim Bresnan and Danny Briggs in the final over as the Bears were bowled out for 141, meaning Kent were the victors by 21 runs and booked their place at Finals Day.
Kent’s Sam Billings said: “It means everything, it’s always been our hurdle to get over. I think this is our fourth quarter-final (in seven years). Blakes has just said to me I’ve never been to a finals day, and neither have I. It’s one of the best days in the calendar.”
“We know that as a side we’re very hard to beat and what’s exciting is that we know as a side we’re hard to beat, but tonight we haven’t even played our best. I think the wicket did us all at the toss, you looked at it and thought yeah, 200 plays 200 and it could be a really tough night for the bowlers.
“Bell-Drummond’s was perhaps the most unlucky dismissal ever and I thought when that happened don’t be another one of these nights, so I thought it’s down to me. I really took it upon myself at that point and got some runs on the board.
“I haven’t been around as much as I would have liked due to England stuff and getting COVID. I was injured a couple of years ago so it’s been a pretty weird couple of years. To be back here playing cricket with this team it means (so much). I’ve been at the club since I was eight. People don’t think I care, I think they’re deluded to be honest.”
Birmingham’s Will Rhodes said: “When you come to a place like Kent, where they’re so good at home, you need to be on your A-game and make sure they have a day off. Unfortunately they didn’t, they outplayed us and fully deserved the win. We felt very confident, 160 on that wicket with a bit of dew was chaseable, but we lost too may wickets in those first ten overs. We saw how Bresnan and Lintott played at the end, they struck it pretty cleanly. I think if we’d had wickets in hand it would have been a different story, but that’s the game.”
Kent Spitfires will face Sussex Sharks in the semi-final at Edgbaston with the winners going on to face either Hampshire or Somerset.