Late six salvo hands Hampshire stunning comeback win over Kent
Hawks needed 42 off last three overs but three maximums in a row from James Fuller turned the game
ECB Reporters Network02-Jun-2024James Fuller, Benny Howell and Liam Dawson’s late sixes gave Hampshire Hawks a stunning comeback victory over Kent Spitfires to get their Vitality Blast campaign going.The Hawks required 42 off the last three overs but three maximums in a row from Fuller turned the game before Howell and Dawson smashed over the ropes in clutch circumstances to win by three wickets.Allrounder Joey Evison picked up 3 for 31 – his second-best T20 figures – to put Kent in control before the late efforts handed Hampshire their first T20 win of the season.Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Billings’ 40s were the foundations for the Spitfires’ 165 for 9 but it didn’t quite prove enough as Spitfires have one win and one loss so far.Chasing 166 to win, Ben McDermott and James Vince were circumspect, with barely a shot in anger during a 42-run powerplay, as timing became a struggle.Australian McDermott attempted to accelerate things but while his pulled six worked, his hoick two balls later only picked out the deep midwicket-positioned Zak Crawley.Nick Gubbins was drafted in to replace Ali Orr – who broke his arm while batting against Surrey – but his second T20 appearance for Hampshire ended identically to his first, a duck, which gave Evison his second in an over.Evison grabbed his third when Vince tried a slog out of desperation to end his stodgy 35 off 32 before Friday night hat-trick taker Matt Parkinson joined the party when Toby Albert reversed to point.Joe Weatherley and Fuller continued to tick under the rate until the 18th over as the game looked lost.But with 42 still required, and Beyers Swanepoel bowling, Fuller bludgeoned to long on, straight then straight again for three sixes in a row – bringing up a fifty stand with Weatherley.Even though the South African found an edge the following ball the momentum had swung with 18 needed off the final two overs.Weatherley fell for 49 when he picked out long on but a Howell six off the final ball of the penultimate over moved the dial to the hosts again.With nine now needed in the last, the previously expensive Grant Stewart had Howell caught but was smashed over the ropes by Dawson, before a scampered single gave Hawks an unlikely victory.Earlier, Kent piled on the runs in the powerplay under blue skies. Chris Wood – in his testimonial year – was the only one to stem the early runs with his two overs going for just five.At the other end, Bell-Drummond blitzed 42 off 27 balls with hardly anything avoiding the middle of his bat – with the four overs not bowled by Wood in the powerplay going for 52.But things swung when Fuller had Bell-Drummond caught and bowled after a six-second hang time – after a 59-run opening stand – and bowled Tawanda Muyeye.Fuller would have to wait another five overs for his hat-trick ball, which was keenly dealt with by Joe Denly, although Howell spread Crawley’s stumps.Sam Billings and Denly rebuilt with some smart running in a 60 stand, but they both fell in a Dawson over – the former caught behind while reverse sweeping on 43 and the latter holing out to long-off.From then, the Hawks cramped the Spitfires with 31 runs coming off the final four overs, which all saw a wicket fall.