Read the match report & hear reaction from Hampshire Hawks Men’s Vitality Blast match against Kent Spitfires at Utilita Bowl<\/p>\n
Sunday 5 July 2026
\nVitality Blast men’s competition – Hampshire Hawks 190\/3 beat Kent Spitfires 171 by 19 runsBy Alex Smith, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay<\/p>\n
James Vince and Joe Weatherley\u2019s half-centuries maintained Hampshire Hawks\u2019 unbeaten home record and fused them to the top of the Vitality Blast men\u2019s competition South Group.<\/p>\n
The duo put on 101 for the second wicket, notching 63 and 61 respectively, before Tristan Stubbs boosted the Hawks to 190.<\/p>\n
Tawanda Muyeye\u2019s fifty put Kent Spitfires on track, but Sonny Baker\u2019s four for 25 and Scott Currie\u2019s three for 30, tied with their sensational death\u00a0bowling, gave\u00a0Hampshire an eight-point lead at the top of the table.<\/p>\n
Having taken 12 wickets in two Rothesay County Championship matches, Hasan Mahmud began his Blast career by producing a searing yorker to extract Toby Albert. The Bangladeshi would end up with a frugal three for 25.<\/p>\n
But that was a rare positive for Kent, as they lost Joe Denly in the field \u2013 after taking a blow to the leg \u2013 before Vince and Weatherley started to build a substantial partnership.<\/p>\n
Vince did his usual shtick of graceful mixed with power shot-making as he bookended the week with half-centuries against the Spitfires \u2013 this one his 93rd in T20s.<\/p>\n
Weatherley was less consistently aggressive. He only scored five boundaries in his 47-ball 61, but three of them were sixes, with 31 singles keeping things ticking.<\/p>\n
The pair put on 101, but Vince\u2019s departure and five overs in which only a single boundary was scored \u2013 with one tiny square boundary and a lengthy one making it easy for bowlers to direct where they wanted the ball to go.<\/p>\n
A big finale was required, and Tristan Stubbs provided it.<\/p>\n
The reliable South African bludgeoner crashed 41 runs from 24 balls to fire Hampshire to a par 190.<\/p>\n
Sonny Baker sent Daniel Bell-Drummond\u2019s middle stump for a walk, but the tone of the chase was set by Tawanda Muyeye and Zak Crawley\u2019s free-flowing scoring \u2013 pairing singles to the long side with big sixes into the short.<\/p>\n
Andrew Neal pinned Crawley lbw to end the 66-run stand, and after his first fifty of the campaign, Muyeye pulled to deep square, while Sam Billings was caught two overs later.<\/p>\n
Kent continued to tick off the runs, but Harry Finch and Grant Stewart swung one time too many. It left 23 required from the last two overs.<\/p>\n
But Scott Currie produced a magical penultimate over that only conceded three runs, while also dismissing Jake Lintott and Tom Rogers.<\/p>\n
And then Baker ended things by having Matt Milnes well-caught and then the limping Denly yorked to complete a 19-run win.<\/p>\n
Hampshire Cricket Social Media Follow <\/p>\n
Stay Connected <\/p>\n