Yorkshire Phoenix gave their worst performance of the season under the Canterbury floodlights last night as they plunged to defeat by six wickets with 14 overs remaining against Kent Spitfires.

Craig White's men are short on inspiration at the moment and they were out-batted and out-bowled by Kent, who inflicted their eighth defeat in ten matches with the two wins only coming against Scottish Saltires.

Yorkshire could only muster 165 for four off their 45 overs and would have to bowl out Kent if they were to win the match.

Deon Kruis and Tim Bresnan, bowling to an attacking field of four slips at times, turned in excellent spells but luck was not with Kruis and he had Martin van Jaarsveld dropped in the third over by Anthony McGrath at third slip as several other edges evaded fielders.

It was Bresnan who got van Jaarsveld caught at third slip and Kruis deservedly had Matthew Walker caught behind in the next over to make Kent 42 for two.

But Hall and Darren Stevens put on 64 in 14 overs before Hall fell lbw to John Blain for 46 from 67 balls.

Runs came thick and fast as Stevens lashed Dawson for three consecutive fours to reach his half-century.

Justin Kemp also helped himself to three boundaries in the next over from Blain Stevens, but gave himself too much room to cut Richard Dawson and was bowled for 52 off as many balls with nine fours but the biggest hitting was still to come, Kemp blasting Ian Harvey for a six, three fours and a three in one over to win the match for Kent.

Winning the toss and batting first in glorious weather, Yorkshire's batting crumbled to a series of casual strokes.

Wickets toppled at regular intervals with none of the top batsmen able to hold the fort for long and they were saved from total disaster by Simon Guy who came in at 116 for seven and made a career-best 34 not out.

The only fluency came from Lumb, who smacked three fours in an over from Joseph and he had struck five boundaries in his 22 when he cut Joseph to backward point where he was caught by Walker