Kent's Darren Stevens confirmed his credentials at this shortest form of the game with a cracking 27-ball innings of 56 which inspired Spitfires' win over visitors Hampshire.

A near 5,000 crowd watched the first Twenty20 cup tie to be staged at Tunbridge Wells - a match which was in the balance right through to the final over.

Stevens gave Kent the impetus in an innings which was threatening to peter out when he arrived at the crease with his side struggling 68 for three at the midway point of their innings.

Having elected to bat first, Kent were given a flying start by England Lions opener Joe Denly who cracked 26 off 17 balls before holing out to long-on off Hawks captain and star bowler Dimitri Mascarenhas - who took two wickets for 19 runs.

Mascarenhas then pegged back Martin van Jaarsveld's middle stump and Imran Tahir clipped off stump when Geraint Jones missed an attempted sweep, bringing together Rob Key and Stevens for a match-winning fourth-wicket stand of 78 in seven overs.

Each scored contrasting 50s, Stevens from 24 balls with five sixes while Key reached the landmark - his first 50 in all forms of county cricket this year - from 49 balls and with only four boundaries.

The turning point came in the 15th over - the only one of the night bowled by Sean Ervine in his first game back from injury. Ervine conceded 23 - with Stevens hitting three straight sixes - as Kent cantered along at 9.1 an over to post their second best total of this year's event.

To their credit Hampshire made an excellent fist of the run chase with an opening stand of between Michael Lumb and Jimmy Adams.

Lumb discarded his doughty reputation to clatter 59 from 33 balls, 50 of those in boundaries, until the left-hander edged to the wicketkeeper off Ryan McLaren then, to the very next delivery, Lumb (11) lost his off stump to a James Tredwell arm ball.

The Hawks regrouped with another excellent partnership of 72 between Michael Carberry and Chris Benham which peaked in the fourth wicket pair when they bludgeoned 19 off Tredwell's fourth over.

But some excellent Kent fielding led to a spate of three run outs in the last two overs and, with 14 needed off the final over, Hampshire missed out once Benham drove over a McLaren yorker and Nic Pothas ran himself out wanting a cheeky bye to Geraint Jones.

With four wins from seven matches Kent will now hope to qualify for the knockout stages for a fourth successive year.