Rayner wickets help Middlesex beat Kent

By

Middlesex 260-9 (50 ov) beat Kent 173 (41.2 ov) by 87 runs
(Middlesex 2 pts, Kent 0 pts)

Half-centuries from James Franklin and Nick Gubbins and four wickets from Ollie Rayner saw Middlesex thump Kent to record their first win of this year’s Royal London Cup group stage.

The home side were 97-4 in the 25th over with Dawid Malan (47) the only top order batsman to make an impact.

Franklin (50) and Gubbins (56) put on 78 in 16 overs to give the Middlesex total a nudge in the right direction.

Late blasts from Gubbins and Toby Roland-Jones (31 not out from 22 balls) helped add a further 85 in the last 10 overs as Middlesex finished on 260-9.

Kent’s progress was checked by regular wickets as they were restricted to 106-4 towards the halfway mark.

Sam Billings, who made 68, and Fabian Cowdrey, the 22-year-old grandson of late England captain Colin Cowdrey, shared in a stand of 49 before both fell in consecutive overs to put Middlesex on top.

The last six Kent wickets were taken in seven overs, for just 18 runs, with Rayner (pictured) finishing with career-best List A figures of 4-45.

Middlesex sit third in the nine-team group B after one win, one loss and one no-result. They face Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday.

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook