Evergreen Stevens claims T20 wicket milestone with first ball as Hampshire begin T20 Blast campaign with defeat at Kent

Darren Stevens celebrates dismissing D'Arcy Short with his first ball. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.

Asked to chase 177 for victory, Hawks skipper James Vince and Australian signing D’Arcy Short had posted 51 without loss after six overs in reply.

But with the first ball of the seventh, Stevens had Short caught by Ollie Robinson for a 19-ball 29. Short had hit six fours - the same amount as the rest of his colleagues put together as the Hawks were restricted to 138-9.

Robinson had anchored Kent’s innings with 48 after Joe Denly smashed 44 and Daniel Bell-Drummond 42 to get the hosts off to a blistering start.

Fred Klaassen successfully appeals for LBW against Joe Weatherley. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.

But they were hauled back as Mason Crane, the third slow bowler used by Vince after Liam Dawson and Short, took 3-23.

Vince made 34, but the Hawks fell way behind the run rate, despite a battling 37 from Joe Weatherley, the only other batsman apart from the openers to make double figures

After losing the toss, the Spitfires raced to 67-0 at the end of the powerplay, before Bell-Drummond holed out to Crane and was caught by Vince.

When Denly was stumped off Liam Dawson in the next over, the scoring rate slowed drastically.

D'Arcy Short on his way to 29 on debut for Hampshire. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.

Crane took two wickets in five balls, bowling Alex Blake (2) and then getting Jack Leaning (1) stumped.

Jordan Cox and Robinson put on 58 for the fifth wicket, before the former was caught on the boundary by James Fuller for 28 off Wood with the first ball of the final over.

After Short departed, Cox took two brilliant catches. He snared Sam Northeast for six at long off, to give James Logan a wicket only four hours after he’d signed a deal with Kent, before making a stunning catch at mid-wicket to get rid of Vince off Stevens.

Klaassen took a steepling catch off his own bowling to dismiss Dawson (9) then had James Fuller (1) caught by Blake at long on.

Mason Crane celebrates after dismissing Daniel Bell-Drummond. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.

After 10 overs without a boundary, Weatherley hit Matt Milnes for six through cow corner, but he was lbw to Klaassen who then had Ian Holland caught by Cox.

Needing an impossible 48 off Grant Stewart’s last over, the Hawks lost Chris Wood for one and McManus for seven - both caught by Blake.

Hampshire are back in action against Essex – who beat Somerset by three wickets at Taunton tonight – at Chelmsford on Friday.