balls, and 17 extras made the Essex Eagles run-rate exactly eleven an over. Defending 133, Essex got off to a good start as Antonio Palladino took two wickets, which stopped the visitors from massive smashing, and Kent Spitfires finished on 103 for 4 – thirty runs short of their winning target. (Cricinfo scorecard) Kent v Middlesex (25 June) Middlesex (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by 20 runs Ed Smith took over the mantle from Owais Shah as Middlesex Crusaders' most useful batsman in the Twenty20 Cup, as he recorded three sixes in a 59-ball 85 and lifted Middlesex to 189 for 8 against Kent Spitfires at Beckenham. In reply, Kent lost wickets regularly, and Justin Kemp – normally a quick scorer – could not find his footing and only made 23 not out off 19 balls, as Kent could only scamper 169 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs, 21 runs short of the target. (Cricinfo scorecard) Hampshire v Kent (27 June) Hampshire (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by five wickets Zimbabwean Greg Lamb, playing for the Hampshire Hawks as a home qualified player due to owning an English passport, took four wickets, including three former Test players, for 28 – which helped peg Kent Spitfires back to 154 for 9. Hampshire's reply was very well timed, and even a good bowling spell from Kent's James Tredwell – who only conceded sixteen runs off the bat in four overs – could not stop the Hawks. Lawrence Prittipaul made 35 before being out on the penultimate ball with the scores tied, but off-spinner and stand-in captain Shaun Udal, however, made a single on the last ball, as Hampshire reached 155 for 5 in their 20 overs – Nic Pothas top-scoring with 58. (Cricinfo scorecard) Middlesex v Kent (29 June) Middlesex (2pts) beat Kent (0pts) by six wickets At Uxbridge, Middlesex Crusaders proved the worth of wicket-taking bowling. Irfan Pathan dug out Matthew Walker with the second ball of the game, and that set the tone of the innings. Left-arm spinner Chris Peploe took three wickets, but conceded 35 runs, yet Kent's final total of 144 for 8 did not look too threatening. Owais Shah kept ploughing on his hard-hitting form, taking James Tredwell to the cleaners in his 59 not out, and Middlesex made it to 145 for 4 with 16 balls remaining in the innings, as none of the opposition bowlers took