Yorkshire Phoenix gave their worst performance of the season under the Canterbury floodlights last night as they plunged to a six-wicket defeat with 14 overs spare against Kent Spitfires.

Craig White's out-played men suffered their eighth defeat in ten matches, the two wins coming only against bottom-of-the-table Scottish Saltires.

Yorkshire could muster only 164 in 42.4 overs and knew they would have to dismiss Kent to win.

Deon Kruis and Tim Bresnan, bowling to an attacking field, both turned in fine spells but luck was not with Kruis as he had Martin van Jaarsveld dropped in the third over by Anthony McGrath at third slip as well as seeing several edges evade fielders.

Bresnan eventually got van Jaarsveld caught at third slip by Michael Lumb and Kruis had Matthew Walker caught behind in the next over to make Kent 41-2 but Hall and Darren Stevens put on 64 in 14 overs before Hall fell lbw to John Blain for 46 off 67 balls.

Runs suddenly came thick and fast as Stevens lashed Dawson for three consecutive fours and Justin Kemp helped himself to three boundaries in the next over from Blain.

Stevens gave himself too much room to cut Richard Dawson and was bowled for 52 off as many balls 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, Kemp's 42 using up only 25 balls.

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

None of the top order held the fort for long and they were saved from total embarrassment by Simon Guy, who came in at 116-7 and made a career best 34 not out off 37 balls with three fours and a six.

Harvey got an inside edge against Martin Saggers which sent his leg-stump flying and White drove Robbie Joseph low to mid-off, while McGrath edged Hall to wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien.

The only fluency came from leading run-maker Lumb, who smacked three fours in an over from Joseph and had hit five boundaries in his 22 when he cut Joseph to Walker at backward point.

Lumb's dismissal saw Yorkshire at 47-4 and, while Matthew Wood and Joe Sayers staged a mini-recovery, both fell in consecutive overs from Simon Cook.

At 77-6, Phoenix were in deep trouble and a home fan implored: "Come on, Yorkshire, make it last, we have to pay for the floodlights."

Bresnan and Dawson obliged by putting on 39 in seven overs but just as they began to get on top, both fell with the score on 116.

The resistance continued as Guy and Blain held out for 11 overs, Guy driving Tredwell for a straight six before Blain gave O'Brien his third catch and the innings closed when Hall bowled Kruis.

Updated: 11:06 Wednesday, August 31, 2005