A stunning 59 from Ajmal Shahzad, 47 from Gary Ballance and three wickets from Steve Patterson could not prevent Kent reaching their victory target of 231 with 2 balls and 2 wickets to spare. The third defeat in four CB40 matches leaves Yorkshire Carnegie's chances of reaching the Sem-Finals of this year's competition hanging by a very thin thread.

(PHOTO: Ajmal Shahzad was brutal on his way to 59)

Kent initially started slowly scoring only 16 runs in the first 6 overs. Yorkshire had 42-0 at the same stage. Sam Northeast then drove Ryan Sidebottom to Andrew Gale at depp mid-off and Kent were 27-1. Matt Cles drove Shahzad when on 6 and despite a full length dive by Gale at mid-off he couldn't cling on with one hand. Rob Key pushed forward tentatively to Steve Patterson's first ball and Kent were  44-2 in the 11th over.

Coles, whose previous one-day best was only 11 had been promoted to give it a push. The first ball of Patterson's second over disappeared over long-off for 6 and then he reverese swept Rashid with real power for 4. He was nearing an impressive fifty when he found Joe Root on the long-on boundary off Lee Hodgson. His 47 had come from 38 balls with 6 fours and a six. Darren Stevens followed for 1 when he guided Rashid to Shahzad at short third-man and the score was 101-4 in the 19th over.

Gale took his second catch when Alex Blake went for 18 to Patterson as Kent slipped behind the DL par score for the first time - always a good indicator of the balance of play. Kent needed 88 from 87 balls mid-way through the 26th over. Jonny Bairstow shelled a tough chance diving to his right off Geraint Jones when the Kent kepper was on 9 and the game was destined to go to the wire.

Lee Hodgson produced a maiden over, the 30th of the innings, and the run-rate went from 6.27 to 6.90 required - what a difference some dots make. Martin van Jaarsveld was the danger man, passing fifty in 54 balls with 5 fours. Kent took their batting powerplay at 167-5 and Andrew Gale immediately brought Ryan Sidebottom back from the Rugby Stand End.

Shahzad went for consecutive boundaries off the first five balls of his 6th over, the 33rd of the innings, as van Jaarsveld upped his game to take Kent within touching distance. Shahzad then struck back with the 6th ball to bowl van Jaarsveld for 74 and break the 6th wicket partnership at 58.

The powerplay overs had gone 8-20-1-3 when Patterson, bowling the fourth, bowled Azhar Mahmood in the process. Kent required 30 from 30 balls. Hodgson returned to concede just 3 from his sixth over and the rate required had crept back up to 7.25 - 29 off 4 overs needed.

Shahzad returned to bowl the 37th. Jones thumped his fifth ball over extra cover for 4 and Kent needed 20 off 18. Jones swung Hodgson away to mid-wicket for four to ease the pressure. James Tredwell hit the penultimate ball of Steve Patterson's last over for 6 and Kent needed 4 from Shahzad's final over. Jones was caught by Gale for 39 from 45 balls when he lofted to cover and tension mounted, but Ashley Shaw swung the fourth ball away to mid-wicket and Kent had won with 2 balls to spare.

Earlier Ajmal Shahzad hit a thumping 59 from 34 balls towards the end of Yorkshire Carnegie's innings today which excited the Yorkshire crowd and gave the Tykes a defendable total. It was stunning stuff as he plundered 8 fours and 3 sixes as Yorkshire added 33 runs from the last 10 balls of the innings.

Geraint Jones dropped a skier from a top edged Shahzad pull 5 balls from the end only to see the Yorkshire man hit 3 of the last 4 balls to the fence, including a cut six over cover to close. David Wainwright was 8 not out at the other end.

Andrew Gale had seen Yorkshire off to a flyer against Kent with 34 runs in 28 balls, but when he was bowled around his legs by Azhar Mahmood the run-rate started to slide down. Jonny Bairstow hit a brisk 22 before chopping a square cut into his stumps off Darren Stevens and Yorkshire were 60-2 in the 10th over. Joe Root was bowled off an inside edge to Stevens for 6 and Yorkshire were 77-3.

Gary Ballance was dropped on 10 when the score was 97-3 as he and Adam Lyth added 68 runs for the 4th wicket as Yorkshire sought to rebuild and head to a competitive total. Lyth took the score past 100 with a lovely clean swing over mid-off from a delivery from Ashley Shaw. Ballance got in on the act an over later with a deft late cut that went wide of 1st slip to the fence. Lyth then knocked Alex Blake's first ball straight to Darren Stevens at poiint and Lee Hodgson was lbw three balls later for a duck.

Gary Ballance scored a valuable 47 off 64 balls before being comically run out going for the second run running into Ajmal Shahzad and falling short of his ground. Adil Rashid was caught by Rob Key off Matt Coles for 3 and the it was the Ajmal Shahzad show. A truly excellent display of powerful clean hitting probably should have been the difference in this game, but 230 turned out to be slightly below par.

Yorkshire Carnegie next play Worcestershire Royals at New Road in the CB40 and only wins will do from here to have any chance of reaching Lord's.

JAMES BUTTLER at HEADINGLEY

MATCH PREVIEW

Yorkshire welcome Kent to Headingley in the return CB40 fixture - Yorkshire beat Kent at Canterbury last weekend to get themselves off the mark in this year's competition.

Andrew Gale was instrumental in last week's victory with a magnificently structured 112 and Yorkshire will need him to continue to fire at the top of the order if they are to build a winning streak. It is likely that Jonny Bairstow will continue to open the innings.

Tim Bresnan (calf) and Gerard Brophy (bruised thumb) who both picked up injuries in the final day of the LV= County Championship match against Hampshire miss out today as a precuation ahead of the Roses match next week.

MATCH INFO

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE SQUAD

Andrew GALE (c), Jonny BAIRSTOW (wk), Adam LYTH, Joe ROOT, Gary BALLANCE, Adil RASHID, Lee HODGSON, Ajmal SHAHZAD, David WAINWRIGHT, Ryan ??????????????S?I?D?E????B?O?T?T?O?M?,? St????eve PATTERSON, Moin ASHRAF??? ?a?n?d? ??J?o?e? ??S?A?Y?E?R?S ?

??KENT SPITFIRES SQUAD

Northeast, Key (c)??, van ?Jaarsveld, Stevens, Blake, Jones (wk)??, Mahmood, Tredwell, Coles, Riley, Shaw?