Report: Warwickshire v Kent (H), One Day Cup

WarksvKent Aug26 neildugganphotography-32

Warwickshire (263 all out) beat Kent (176 all out) by 87 runs.

2026-08-11T17:05+01:00

Warwickshire bowed out of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup despite signing off with a 87-run victory over Kent, completing a trio of wins at the Rugby School Festival.

Results elsewhere ended the Bears’ already slim hopes of qualification, but they finished their campaign on a high as Vansh Jani struck a List A-best 98 before Ethan Bamber’s four-wicket opening burst helped dismiss Kent for 176.

Put in, the Bears were all out for 263, leaving 29 balls unused. Jani unfurled a sparkling 98 from 85 balls, but nobody else reached 40 against a Kent attack which kept taking wickets at important times, led by Matt Milnes (four for 52).

The target appeared chaseable, but Kent’s reply was rocked by a blistering opening spell from Bamber (four for 29), before Tazeem Ali (three for 37) helped finish the job as the visitors were dismissed for 176 in 33.4 overs.

Grant Stewart (41, 34) and Ekansh Singh (40, 42) offered some resistance, but Warwickshire completed their 50-over programme in symmetrical fashion with a fourth home win to sit alongside four away defeats.

After Kent chose to bowl, Milnes struck twice in his new-ball spell. Rob Yates lifted a drive to point before Zen Malik’s off-stump landed halfway back to wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin.

Kai Smith (36, 45) and Jani steadied the Bears with a stand of 55 in nine overs before Smith was neatly caught down the leg-side by Benjamin off Singh.

Jani accelerated to a 39-ball half-century, his fourth in five innings, and dominated a stand of 88 in 13 overs with Alex Davies (22, 31).

Kent’s spinners applied the brake with three wickets in six overs, however, as Davies nicked Matt Parkinson behind and George Garton cut Jaden Denly to cover.

Jani then fell agonisingly short of a maiden List A century, chopping Denly to short third on 98.

Jake Lintott (32 not out, 38) and Michael Booth (28, 27) added some useful late runs, before Milnes returned to bowl the latter as the Bears were dismissed for 263.

Backed by another excellent crowd at Rugby School, Warwickshire made a devastating start with the ball as Kent lurched to 23 for five in the seventh over.

Bamber’s second over brought two wickets in four balls, with Ben Dawkins chipping to fine leg before Sam Northeast edged behind.

Daniel Bell-Drummond then skied Olly Hannon-Dalby to third before Bamber struck twice more in his fourth over. His in-duckers accounted for Benjamin lbw and Denly bowled as the Bears took firm control.

Singh and Harry Finch (31, 38) ended the collapse with a stand of 60 in 11 overs, though they played and missed plenty during an excellent spell from Jake Lintott on what is likely to be his last appearance for Warwickshire.

Finch eventually perished when he lifted Tazeem Ali to long on, before Lintott earned deserved rewards as Singh and Joey Evison lofted to long off.

Stewart provided some late entertainment by smiting Michael Booth for three successive sixes, but it was too little too late for Kent.

The Bears wrapped up the innings for 176 to secure a 87-run victory and bring their One-Day Cup campaign to a winning conclusion, while maintaining their perfect record at this year’s Rugby School Festival.