Kent Spitfires assistant coach Matt Walker was proud of his troops after they won a battle they looked destined to lose in the Royal London One-Day Cup opener against Durham on Tuesday night.

But he knows the stunning two-wicket win in Canterbury needs to be backed up with more success in the competition.

Kent came back from the dead to chase down Durham’s 271-7 with four balls to spare, yet Walker admitted he wasn’t nervous, despite his side being 108-5 at one stage.

He said: “We were so far out of the game that I thought if we get there, we get there. It wasn’t looking good at all.

“But saying that, we have faith in our youngsters like Sam (Billings) and Calum (Haggett), we want them to play and play they did – I was really proud of them.

“They, and all the other young players on the staff, have no fear and no lack of character.

“Yes, they will make mistakes along the way and Sam was angry when he got out, but they will learn from them.

“Sam and Calum both batted superbly to get us back in the game before James (Tredwell) got us home."

Next week sees a hectic schedule for Kent in the competition with games against Surrey (The Oval on Tuesday), Glamorgan (Canterbury on Wednesday, August 6), Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge, August 8), and Warwickshire (Rugby School, August 10).