Kent Spitfires v Hampshire Hawks Men
Vitality Blast
Sunday 28 June (3:30pm start)
The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury
Hawks Men hit the road as they take on Kent Spitfires in the Vitality Blast with the aim of winning seven games on the trot.
On Friday night against Yorkshire, the Hawks completed an electrifying two-wicket win with one ball to spare at Utilita Bowl.
Chris Wood claimed 3/23 with the ball as he removed Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, and Matt Revis before smashing 13 runs from seven balls, including a four and six to win the game in the final over.
Scott Currie’s three wickets take him to 15 in the competition to date, the third-most in the men’s tournament, and Sonny Baker picked up 2/40 on his return to the side following his Test debut.
Joe Weatherley smashed 63 off just 33 deliveries as he became the Hawks’ leading run-scorer this year.
Kent Spitfires were defeated by Notts Outlaws on Friday, by four wickets with eight balls to spare.
Captain Sam Billings continued his excellent form with 64 from 38 balls, with 37 off 23 from Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Pacer Matt Milnes took 3/30, but a blistering 82* from former Hampshire and Kent batter George Munsey downed the Spitfires in the penultimate over.
The Hawks sit top of the table, with six wins from seven games, whilst the Spitfires lie fourth in the group with three wins.
Hampshire Hawks
Hampshire Hawks Men have named a 15-player squad for this fixture.
The same squad that won against Yorkshire on Friday will travel to Canterbury with the exceptions of Jake Lehmann and Tom Prest.
Liam Dawson is five wickets away from 300 T20 wickets while Chris Wood is closing in on Samit Patel in second pace on the all-time most prolific men’s Vitality Blast wicket-takers.
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Toby Albert † (15)
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Ben Mayes (21)
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Sonny Baker (95)
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Andrew Neal (17)
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Hilton Cartwright (35)
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Ali Orr † (27)
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Scott Currie (44)
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Tristan Stubbs (30)
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Liam Dawson (8)
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James Vince Captain (14)
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James Fuller (26)
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Joe Weatherley (5)
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Eddie Jack (91)
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Chris Wood (25)
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Manny Lumsden (43)
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Kent Spitfires
Previewed by Fred Atkins, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Sam Billings
Overseas players: Tom Rogers (Australia, all), Keith Dudgeon (South Africa, all), Dian Forrester (South Africa – when commitments with A tour permit)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2007, 2008, 2009, 2021)
Titles: Two (2007, 2021)
2026 standings: 4th in South Group
2026 leading run-scorer: Sam Billings (288)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Matt Milnes (11)
Key winter moves: There was genuine excitement when Kent swooped for both Jake Lintott, on loan from Warwickshire, and Forrester; while Bertie Foreman joins from Buckinghamshire. Jack Leaning has gone to Sussex and Nathan Gilchrist to Warwickshire, but the side that reached the last eight in 2025 is otherwise intact. Holding on to Muyeye was a very smart bit of business.
The big question: Will the new format work in Kent’s favour? It should make their path to the quarter-finals significantly easier as they no longer have to play the most recent champions, Somerset and Gloucestershire, home and away, but still get to play their local rivals. Travelling distances have been slashed, significantly enhancing player welfare.
Wildcard watch: Coach Adam Hollioake believes Chris Benjamin has the potential to be one of the world’s most destructive batters. His 2025 campaign was ruined when he dislocated his shoulder grounding his bat at Lord’s, but his red-ball form this year has been outstanding, and with Billings keeping wicket, he’ll be able to concentrate purely on his batting.
Final thought: The St. Lawrence remains one of the great places to watch T20 cricket, but since winning the Blast in 2021, Kent have oscillated wildly. Off the pace in 2022 and 2024 they were unlucky not to go further in 2023 and 2025: Billings put last year’s quarter-final exit in a low-scoring affair at Emirates Old Trafford down to their failure to get Liam Livingstone out. Signing Lintott, Forrester and Foreman, all in the space of 24 hours, feels like a statement of intent.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Men’s record in T20 matches v Kent Spitfires:
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Played
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Won
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Tied
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Lost
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No Result
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36
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16
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1
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18
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2
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Recent meetings:
- June 8 2025 | The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury | Kent Spitfires won by eight wickets (with six balls remaining)
- June 2 2024 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by three wickets (with one ball remaining)
- June 9 2023 | The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury | Kent Spitfires won by six wickets (with three balls remaining)
- June 17 2022 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 54 runs
- June 9 2021 | The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury | Kent Spitfires won by 38 runs
Tickets
Tickets for Kent Spitfires v Hampshire Hawks Men are available here, which include access to Kent Spitfires v Northamptonshire Steelbacks in the Vitality Blast Women’s League Two.
Coverage
The match will be live streamed on the Surrey Cricket YouTube channel. Radio commentary will be available on the BBC Sport website and app, and on BBC Sounds.
A live match centre with scorecard, statistics, and insight will be available via www.utilitabowl.com/cricket/news.
Fans can stay updated on the match via Hampshire Cricket’s X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.
Weather Forecast
Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Canterbury: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2653877.
