James Vince's dazzling hundred keeps holders Kent in doldrums
Tom Prest provides support act for Hawks captain as visitors fall well short
ECB Reporters Network
17-Jun-2022
James Vince smashes a six en route to his century • Getty Images
Hampshire 221 for 3 (Vince 100, Prest 52) beat Kent 167 for 8 (Denly 49, Wood 2-26, Ellis 2-26) by 54 runs
James Vince demolished Kent Spitfires with an obscene Vitality Blast century as Hampshire Hawks romped to a fifth straight victory.
Hawks skipper Vince recorded his third T20 century with exactly 100 in 54 balls as he combined with Tom Prest - who impressed with his second format fifty - for a 128 stand for the second wicket. With Ross Whiteley's six-ball 23, the hosts bashed their third-highest T20 score of 221 - something Spitfires never looked like chasing, eventually falling 54 runs short, in front of the largest Ageas Bowl crowd of the season.
After four straight losses to start the Blast, Hampshire have got on a roll and moved into the top four for the first time. Holders Kent remain rooted to the bottom of the South Group with two wins from nine.
Having been stuck in, Hampshire were only 32 for 1 - Ben McDermott skied Grant Stewart - at the end of the powerplay, and 12 of those came in the sixth over. That inauspicious start ramped up as Prest and Vince found their gears quickly.
They started by using the expansive Ageas Bowl outfield to milk ones and twos, before accelerating into boundaries. The turning point from normal accumulation to intergalactic striking was Stewart's third over which went for 25 runs. Prest started with a slog-swept six before Vince rounded it out with six, six, four.
From then on, the Hawks flew. Only one over in the second half of the innings went for fewer than nine runs. Both Prest and Vince reached half-centuries in 34 balls as they became the first Hampshire duo to put on 100 together in a T20 versus Kent.
After Vince had taken George Linde for 17, including a huge maximum over the leg side, Qais Ahmad ended the partnership on 128. Prest's slog sweep only went up as he departed for a season-best 52.
If Vince had noticed his partner had morphed into Joe Weatherley or not his steely demeanour and crisp ball-striking wasn't affected. His second fifty came in 19 balls - making it 53 balls in total - and was coloured by three towering sixes into the leg side and five fours. He fell a ball later, which only brought Whiteley to the crease. He and Weatherley put on 40 in 10 balls to take Hawks miles past 200 - with 30 coming off the final over.
The enormous score, albeit the third-highest around the country on Friday night, was only beaten in Hampshire's record books by 249 at Derbyshire in 2017 and 225 versus Middlesex at home in 2006.
Kent's reply couldn't have started worse as Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jordan Cox were both caught in the ring before the end of the third over. Sam Billings was bowled by James Fuller not long after, but Joe Denly and Alex Blake added 54 to momentarily fight back.
Denly drilled to long off, Alex Blake to long-on, Linde to a sprawling mid-off, Jack Leaning was cleaned up and Qais was caught and bowled as Kent ended up on 167 for 8 and Hampshire cruised to the two points.
