It took Joe Denly just 57 balls yesterday to confirm his arrival into the ranks of the highest class. His 91 for Kent, with five sixes and nine fours, thrilled a 6,000 crowd and when he fell trying to hit Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan leg spinner, for a fourth successive six they stood as one to applaud him off.

He might still be just 21 but this slightly-built lad from Whitstable is the real deal - as Alastair Cook will no doubt testify. England's opener is a prodigy himself, with more than 2,000 Test runs at the age of 23, but here he was completely overshadowed by Denly's brilliance and managed only 15 as he tested his recovery from the shoulder injury that has prevented him from playing in England's first three Natwest Series matches against New Zealand.

Kent's highest Twenty20 total also included a 36 from 11 balls by Azhar Mahmood, that included two sixes and four fours. It was all too much for Essex, who capitulated in reply.

Scoreboard

Kent
J L Denly c Cook b Kaneria 91
*R W T Key c Pettini b Chambers 25
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Ten Doeschate 14
G O Jones run out 3
J M Kemp st Foster b Kaneria 19
Azhar Mahmood not out 36
D I Stevens not out 11
Extras (lb 2, w 1, nb 2) 5

Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 204

Did not bat: R McLaren, Yasir Arafat, J C Tredwell and S J Cook

Fall of wickets:1-47, 2-86, 3-95, 4-147, 5-173.

Bowling: Masters 3-0-31-0; Napier 4-0-53-0; Chambers 2-0-26-1; Kaneria 4-0-30-2; Ten Doeschate 4-0-26-1; Middlebrook 3-0-36-0.

Essex
*M L Pettini b Arafat 21
A N Cook c Kemp b Cook 15
G R Napier c Cook b McLaren 1
J E R Gallian run out 1
J S Foster c Jones b Cook 2
G W Flower lbw b Tredwell 21
R N ten Doeschate c Kemp b Cook 22
J D Middlebrook lbw b Tredwell 2
D D Masters c McLaren b Azhar 12
Danish Kaneria c Van Jaarsveld b Tredwell 7
M A Chambers not out 10
Extras (b 4, lb 2, w 3) 9

Total (18.5 overs) 123

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-39, 3-40, 4-42, 5-49, 6-85, 7-89, 8-94, 9-104.

Bowling: Azhar 3.5-0-35-1; Arafat 3-0-22-1; Cook 4-0-21-3; McLaren 4-0-22-1; Tredwell 4-0-17-3.

Umpires: R K Illingworth and B Leadbeater.

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