Blake and Northeast star for Kent

Batsmen Sam Northeast and Alex Blake produced a stunning chase as Kent edged past Hampshire with a five wicket T20 Blast victory the Ageas Bowl.

Captain Northeast played the nudger to Blake's bat whirling aerial bombardment - both scoring fifties in a 108 run stand.

The pair saved the Spitfires, who had collapsed to 70 for five before seeing off some wayward Hampshire bowling as they reached their target of 173 with four balls to spare, with a Blake six finishing the game.

Hampshire skipper James Vince won the toss and batted in similar conditions to last week's cruising victory over Essex.

Vince's opening partner Michael Carberry set about an assault on veteran medium pacer Darren Stevens - feathering a four down to fine leg before launching back-to-back sixes high into the south coast skies.

Vince joined in the fun at the other end - as he fiercely cut his first ball straight to the boundary as the home side got off to a flying start.

David Griffiths left the Ageas Bowl-based side two summers ago and was welcomed back by a boundary happy Carberry but the Isle of Wight born seamer struck back straight away and had his former team-mate caught on the boundary - Carberry departing for a eight ball 20.

After striking 60 from the six over powerplay - Kent managed to peg back Hampshire, who failed to score a boundary for 30 deliveries.

Last week's fifty making hero Jimmy Adams fell for a tentative single as Hampshire toiled in the middle overs - as Fabian Cowdrey went for only 18 from his three overs.

Vince kicked the innings back on track as he collected a 39 ball half century - crashing two fours sandwiched between a duo of huge maximums over cow corner.

Vince, Sean Ervine and a stuttering Owais Shah all departed in quick succession - with Joe Denly picking up three boundary riding catches.

Adam Wheater produced his highest career T20 score, of 37 - as Hampshire made 172.

Daniel Bell-Drummond started Kent's reply with a whimper as spinner Will Smith swooped low to catch him off his own bowling - the fourth ball of the innings.

Denly began an onslaught in the next over with ex-West Indian Test bowler Fidel Edwards on the receiving end of a quartet of devastating fours.

Danny Briggs was brought into the attack to stem the flow of Kent runs and found Denly loosely driving first ball to pick up his 99th domestic T20 wicket.

Like Hampshire's innings, Kent began to turn boundaries into ones and twos as a bright start faded away in the middle overs.

Wheater produced two stunning pieces of wicketkeeping to run out the dangerous Sam Billings, for 15, before smartly stumping Stevens off Smith.

And Smith again pounced two balls later to snare Cowdrey leg before to leave the visitors 74 for five after losing three wickets for five runs in seven balls.

Captain Northeast quietly revived Kent's fortunes with a 41 ball fifty, letting Alex Blake crunch the big runs at the other end as Kent started to bat themselves into the game.

Carberry dropped Blake with a flying attempt on the boundary as the nervous started to jangle. Blake moving past his 24 ball fifty with two fours and four maximums.

But Northeast and Blake - who ended with unbeaten 60 and 69 respectively - steered the visitors to an unlikely win - Blake striking the winning runs with his sixth six with four balls to spare.

Kent batsman Alex Blake, who scored his highest T20 score, said: "It's nice to score a career best and even nicer to do it on TV!

"Hampshire are a good side and would have been favourites to see the game out but we heard it was a pretty good wicket so we were always in with a chance.

"We seem to be on a bit of a roll now, so there is a bit on confidence in the camp. We look like a pretty strong outfit. We are confident of going a long way in this competition."

Hampshire spinner Will Smith, who returned figures of one for 35, said: "I love contributing in every way I can. At the moment I'm staying one step ahead of where the batters are trying to do."

"Batting wise we were about par. The way some of the guys were batting we could have got another 10 or 15 runs.

"When we got Darren Stevens out we thought we were three quarters of the way there and all credit to Alex Blake who played some massive shots."