England and Essex batsman Alastair Cook on his way to a knock of 80 Picture: Barry Goodwin

by Andrew Gidley

Kent Spitfires' opening Twenty20 game of the season against Essex Eagles ended in disappointment for a big Bank Holiday Monday crowd of around 3,500 when a torrential thunderstorm washed out proceedings at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury on Monday. Both sides take one point each.

Umpires Neil Bainton and Trevor Jesty took the players off 20 balls into the Spitfires innings, with the score 16-0, chasing a target of 188 to win, and it proved the right decision with the storm imminent. Minutes later the heavy rain arrived to leave huge puddles on the outfield.

Kent did well to restrict the Eagles to 187-7, dragging themselves back into the contest after conceding 52 off the first five, with the innings centred around England opener Alistair Cook, who made his highest score in the competition, 80 off 56 balls including six fours and a six.

He and Essex skipper Mark Pettini (31) put on 63 for the first wicket, before the latter clipped Simon Cook straight to Azhar Mahmood at short fine leg. Grant Flower, missed a leg side sweep and was bowled by James Tredwell for 13 with the total 100.

James Foster (22) hit the off-spinner for four and six in successive balls before hoisting Simon Cook to Justin Kemp (pictured) at deep mid-wicket, before Cook fell to a return catch off the South African all-rounder, fourth out at 167.

Mahmood (2-33) claimed both in the same over removing Ryan ten Doeschate (11), to another catch in the deep by Kemp, and trapping last season’s century record breaking hero Graham Napier (1), who was surprisingly kept back by Essex, lbw second ball.

Matthew Walker, making his first return to Canterbury fell to Rob Joseph's catch off Kemp, but James Middlebrook immediately cashed in with a big six, one of only three maximums in the innings.

Meanwhile, Ryan McLaren is due back on Tuesday, from IPL duty in South Africa, and is set to be figure in the side for Wednesday's second game against Middlesex, the first to be played under lights at Lord's.