KENT finally broke their Twenty20 Cup points duck, but only courtesy of the rain as their seventh southern group qualifier against Sussex in Canterbury fell foul of bad weather.

Showers delayed the start until 6.10pm and reduced the match to 15 overs a side, ensuring that acting Spitfires’ skipper Matt Walker elected to bat once he won the toss.

For once the hosts made a decent start to a Twenty20 innings as Walker and Andrew Hall posted 50 for the first wicket in the space of 7.3 overs.

Walker contributed 14 from 21 balls before he top-edged a reverse sweep off Mushtaq Ahmed high to Mark Davis running in from deep cover.

Hall continued to clatter 43 from 32 with eight fours as the Sussex seamers found it increasingly hard to control the wet ball.

In steady drizzle Michael Carberry chipped in with an unbeaten 20 including the only six of the night off Davis that cleared the seats at deep mid-wicket as 15 came off the over.

But it proved to be the last defining stroke of the evening as, with 11 overs bowled, umpires Vanburn Holder and Nigel Cowley took the sides off the field.

As a crowd sidled home the officials finally abandoned the game at 7.30pm leaving both sides with a point apiece.

Though the point spares Spitfires the indignity of suffering a Twenty20- whitewash of defeats, it also keeps Sussex qualification hopes alive going into the last round of games.

Kent wrap up their southern group qualifiers at Canterbury tomorrow (Thursday) with the visit of Essex Eagles for a game starting at 5.30pm.