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Kent will make their third straight appearance at Twenty20 Cup finals day following a comfortable 56-run quarter-final win over Durham Dynamos.

Sussex also bounced back from their Friends Provident Trophy disappointment to reach Twenty20 finals day for the second time in three years - for more on that match click on the link below the picture.

In front of an 8,000 crowd in Canterbury - the biggest at St Lawrence in over a decade - the 2007 Cup winners skittled the Dynamos out for 93, to win with 16 balls to spare.

Only Dale Benkenstein (47 from 42 balls) and Kyle Coetzer (12) reached double figures for the visitors.

Chasing 150 to win at an asking rate of 7.5 runs an over, Durham made the worst of starts by losing pinch-hitting opener Phil Mustard to the first ball of the pursuit as three of their first four batsmen bagged ducks.

Attempting to flat-bat the opening delivery from left-arm cup debutant Wayne Parnell through mid-off, Mustard picked out James Tredwell who took a comfortable over-head catch.

In his next over the fiery South African accounted for Australian left-hander David Warner who made the 18,000 mile-round trip only to record a fourth-ball duck when Parnell moved one off the seam, brushed the outside edge for Martin van Jaarsveld to complete the dismissal at first slip.

Coetzer was undone by an excellent piece of keeping from Geraint Jones who, stood up to the bowling of Simon Cook, whipped off the bails for a stumping as an off-balance Coetzer switched feet during a rare wicket maiden in Cook's four-over stint of one for 10.

Cook was Kent's fielding star in the next over when he ran out Ian Blackwell with a direct hit from 20 yards, as the burly all-rounder risked a single to short fine leg, then visiting skipper Will Smith (three) sliced a drive high to point to make it 29 for five.

Off-spinner Tredwell struck with his first ball of the night when he enticed Gareth Breese to clip straight to long-on, then Liam Plunkett (six) and Ben Harmison (six) wafted across the line to be bowled as Tredwell closed with three for 18.

Azhar Mahmood duly polished the job off by having top-scorer Benkenstein snaffled in the deep and Mitch Claydon (six) caught behind off successive balls to take Spitfires through to Edgbaston and the scene of their 2007 success.

Having won the toss Kent were given a flying start by openers Rob Key (pictured) (31) and Joe Denly (30) who posted 69 in 8.1 overs - Kent's best first-wicket cup partnership this summer until both holed out to Claydon at long-on in the space of four deliveries from Ben Harmison, the pick of Durham's attack with three for 24 from three overs.

Jones (two) was left high and dry when Van Jaarsveld called for a suicidal single that left Jones a foot short of his ground once Harmison's throw from square leg came in to keeper Mustard.

Van Jaarsveld (14) failed to atone for his blunder when he reverse swept against Breese to pick out Claydon inside the fielding circle at short third man.

Big-hitting duo Justin Kemp and Darren Stevens sensibly played themselves in, rotating the strike to post Kent's 100 in the 15th over before Kemp cut and pulled four then six from successive Harmison deliveries.

Stevens, Kent's leading cup-scorer for 2008, had reached only eight when he chipped to Benkenstein at long-off and Kemp (20 from 18 balls) followed suit four runs.

After leaking 11 from his first over left-arm spinner Blackwell rallied to concede only 10 more off his next three despite a late barrage from Ryan McLaren, unbeaten with 21 from 13 balls, and an 11-ball cameo from Azhar Mahmood (14) that included Kent's third and final six.

PA Sport