Vitality Blast Men · T20
County Ground, Chelmsford · 2026-06-09
Essex won by 3 runs
Kent suffered a narrow three-run defeat to Essex in a thrilling Vitality Blast encounter at the County Ground in Chelmsford on Monday evening. The visitors fell agonisingly short in their pursuit of Essex’s imposing total of 187 for six, managing 184 for nine in a high-scoring T20 contest that showcased explosive batting from both sides throughout the 40 overs of action.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, Kent’s decision appeared to backfire as Essex capitalised on favourable batting conditions to post a formidable total. Charlie Allison anchored the home side’s innings with a magnificent 74 from 47 deliveries, striking three boundaries and six maximums at a strike rate of 157.44. Jordan Cox provided valuable support with 40 from 31 balls, including five fours and a six, before falling in the 14th over with Essex well-placed at 100 for three. PWA Mulder’s explosive cameo of 29 from just 11 balls, featuring three fours and two sixes, propelled Essex towards their eventual total. Matt Milnes emerged as Kent’s most effective bowler, claiming three wickets for 23 runs from his four-over allocation.
Kent’s response began poorly as they slumped to six for one after DJ Bell-Drummond’s early dismissal, before losing HZ Finch to leave them 21 for two in the fourth over. Sam Billings led the recovery with a commanding 62 from 38 balls, striking three boundaries and four sixes to keep pace with the required run rate. However, his dismissal in the 14th over at 119 for five proved crucial, despite Z Crawley’s earlier contribution of 21 from 15 deliveries. Essex’s bowling attack was spearheaded by Zaman Akhter, who claimed three wickets for 19 runs from his four overs, while Charlie Bennett supported with two for 35. FJ Klaassen’s late fireworks, remaining unbeaten on 18 from just five balls with two sixes, nearly snatched an unlikely victory but Kent ultimately fell three runs short of their target.
The defeat represents a missed opportunity for Kent, who will rue their inability to capitalise on a strong bowling performance from Milnes and their failure to build substantial partnerships during the crucial middle overs of their innings. Despite Billings’ heroics and Klaassen’s late assault, the early wickets proved too costly in such a high-scoring encounter. Kent will need to address their batting consistency as they look to bounce back in their next Vitality Blast fixture.
Full scorecard
Essex 1 INN
| Batter | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI Walter | c Bell-Drummond b Milnes | 17 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 130.76 |
| MS Pepper | c Benjamin b Milnes | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
| JM Cox | c Milnes b Stewart | 40 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 129.03 |
| CWJ Allison | c Lintott b Dudgeon | 74 | 47 | 3 | 6 | 157.44 |
| LM Benkenstein | c Lintott b Klaassen | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 71.42 |
| PWA Mulder | c Denly b Milnes | 29 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 263.63 |
| SR Harmer | not out | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Dudgeon | 4.00 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 13.50 |
| Grant Stewart | 2.00 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 7.50 |
| Matt Milnes | 4.00 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 5.75 |
| Fred Klaassen | 4.00 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 12.00 |
| Jake Lintott | 4.00 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7.00 |
| Joe Denly | 2.00 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 8.50 |
Extras: (w 8, lb 2) · Total: 187 ( 20 ) overs
Kent 1 INN
| Batter | Status | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HZ Finch | c Zaman Akhter b Bennett | 13 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 144.44 |
| DJ Bell-Drummond | c Allison b Bennett | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Z Crawley | c Allison b Zaman Akhter | 21 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 140.00 |
| SW Billings | c Snater b Mulder | 62 | 38 | 3 | 4 | 163.15 |
| JL Denly | c Snater b Critchley | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| CG Benjamin | c Benkenstein b Snater | 16 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 123.07 |
| G Stewart | c Harmer b Zaman Akhter | 13 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 118.18 |
| KJ Dudgeon | run out (Harmer) | 15 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 187.50 |
| JB Lintott | not out | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 162.50 |
| ME Milnes | c Mulder b Zaman Akhter | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| FJ Klaassen | not out | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 360.00 |
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Snater | 4.00 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 9.25 |
| Charlie Bennett | 3.50 | 0 | 35 | 2 | 9.13 |
| Wiaan Mulder | 4.00 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 10.25 |
| Zaman Akhter | 4.00 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 4.75 |
| Simon Harmer | 2.00 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 14.00 |
| Matt Critchley | 2.00 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 9.00 |
Extras: (w 3, lb 2) · Total: 180 ( 19.5 ) overs
Starting lineups
Essex
- PI Walter
- MS Pepper
- JM Cox
- CWJ Allison
- LM Benkenstein
- PWA Mulder
- SR Harmer
- MJJ Critchley
- S Snater
- Zaman Akhter
- CE Bennett
Kent
- HZ Finch
- DJ Bell-Drummond
- Z Crawley
- SW Billings
- JL Denly
- CG Benjamin
- G Stewart
- KJ Dudgeon
- JB Lintott
- ME Milnes
- FJ Klaassen
Fall of wickets
Essex 1 INN
- 42/2 at 5.4 ov · PI Walter (c Bell-Drummond b Milnes 17)
- 13/1 at 2.1 ov · MS Pepper (c Benjamin b Milnes 6)
- 100/3 at 13.2 ov · JM Cox (c Milnes b Stewart 40)
- 187/6 at 19.6 ov · CWJ Allison (c Lintott b Dudgeon 74)
- 115/4 at 14.6 ov · LM Benkenstein (c Lintott b Klaassen 5)
- 164/5 at 18.3 ov · PWA Mulder (c Denly b Milnes 29)
Kent 1 INN
- 21/2 at 3.2 ov · HZ Finch (c Zaman Akhter b Bennett 13)
- 6/1 at 1.3 ov · DJ Bell-Drummond (c Allison b Bennett 2)
- 58/3 at 7.3 ov · Z Crawley (c Allison b)
- 119/5 at 13.5 ov · SW Billings (c Snater b Mulder 62)
- 61/4 at 8.2 ov · JL Denly (c Snater b Critchley 1)
- 121/6 at 14.2 ov · CG Benjamin (c Benkenstein b Snater 16)
- 148/8 at 17.2 ov · G Stewart (c Harmer b Zaman Akhter 13)
- 141/7 at 16.5 ov · KJ Dudgeon (run out)
- 150/9 at 17.6 ov · ME Milnes (c Mulder b Zaman Akhter 1)
Match data via api-cricket. Scorecard, lineups, fall of wickets and player figures sourced live from the official feed at the time of publication.