After his match-winning turn with the bat, James Tredwell admitted Kent Spitfires’ three-wicket win over Worcestershire Royals on Wednesday night was nervier than he’d hoped.

Kent went joint-top of Group A of the Yorkshire Bank 40 with victory in a televised match shortened to 25 overs aside after heavy showers in the late afternoon.

When the game eventually began, Matt Coles claimed 4-20 as the Royals made a modest 110/9, however the Spitfires were teetering on 45/6, 66 short of victory, in reply when Tredwell and brother-in-law Geraint Jones combined to steer them towards the winning line.

Jones amassed an eye-catching 30 before holing out to end a 47-run partnership for the seventh wicket, but Tredwell hung around to finish with 42 not out from 40 balls, which included six fours and a pulled six.

The England spinner admitted: “We obviously came off thinking we’d done pretty well, but the wicket did something all the way through, so we equally knew it was going to be quite a tough chase, though not quite that tough.

““It was a bit nervy when I came in, we were toying with what to do on the balcony, did we chuck someone in to have a swing?

“Thankfully mine and Jonesy’s partnership settled the nerves a bit and got us over the line. We’ve started this competition pretty well. Hopefully we can continue the momentum into Championship cricket.”

He added: “Sometimes those short low-scoring games can be the most entertaining - that was the way on the night.

“We’ve played good cricket in a tough scenario so that’s another tick in the box for our group.”

The game was highlighted by superb catches by Sam Billings, juggling on the boundary to avoid taking the ball over the rope for a six, and Ben Harmison, who took a one-handed catch running away from the wicket, over his shoulder.

Tredwell added: “These last four one day games we’ve fielded out of our skins and won wickets purely with our fielding.

“If we do that then we make it easier on the bowlers and they appreciate it. It’s a real telling feature of our game in one day cricket and we need to keep it up in the games to come.”

Tredwell said the win could help Kent record their first win of the LV= County Championship Division 2 season when they face winless Worcestershire back at Canterbury on Friday.

He said: “I think it gives us some momentum. They’re going to be hurting as a group. It doesn’t mean a great deal but we’ve got one over on them already and hopefully we can take it into Friday and start the Championship game really well.

“We’re in similar scenarios, us and them, in the way we’ve started the season. We’d have liked more results, no doubt, (but) we’ve put it behind us with three wins and hopefully that confidence will carry through into the Championship.”