Glamorgan 122 for 4 (Carlson 34) beat Kent 118 for 9 (Leaning 45*, Gorvin 4-17, Leonard 4-26) by six wickets
Glamorgan competed a comprehensive victory over Kent to keep pressure on the qualification spots in the South Group of the Vitality Blast.
On a home return to Sophia Gardens in their T20 campaign, Glamorgan chased 119 with more than eight overs to spare in an explosive innings after a dominant bowling display.
Andy Gorvin returned career best figures of 4 for 17 along with Ned Leonard taking 4 for 26 to make it nine wickets in his last two matches. Only Jack Leaning put up some resistance with 45 from 40 balls to help lift Kent from 27 for 3 after six overs.
Kiran Carlson top-scored for Glamorgan with a quickfire 34 balls as a series of cameos secured a comfortable six-wicket victory.
Glamorgan gave the Spitfires first use of the green-topped surface and instantly reaped the rewards of doing so in terms of economy, initially, before Imad Wasim began a clatter of wickets in the third over.
With Daniel Bell-Drummond dismissed early, Kent's top scorer in the Vitality Blast, Tawanda Muyeye, falling in the next over didn't help Kent at 9 for 2, mistiming a drive to give Leonard a first-ball wicket, caught at deep-third.
The struggles in timing and finding the pace of the pitch continued throughout the Kent innings, finding themselves three down in the powerplay with Harry Finch unable to continue his form from a half-century last time out, missing an attempted ramp.
With no intention of dying wondering, the Spitfires continued to up their sluggish run-rate on a two-paced wicket. Two internationals in the form of Joe Denly and captain Sam Billings attempted to rebuild until Gorvin dismissed the pair in the same over.
Kent slipped from 37 for 3 to 43 for 5 after nine overs. Gorvin was exceptionally difficult to get away with his varied medium pace. Billings was bowled first, slog-sweeping, before Denly played around a nip-backer.
Leaning's blows towards the back end, particularly off Dan Douthwaite, produced his best knock of the campaign and helped Kent to a respectable total. The 31-year-old found two sixes in the final over from Jamie McIlroy, who had dropped him off his own bowling earlier in the innings on 13. Leaning successfully farmed the strike from his No. 11 partner Matt Parkinson, after the lower-order continued to come and go.
Glamorgan came out firing as Carlson so often does, leading from the front alongside Will Smale. Twelve from the first over quickly had the hosts realising that this chase could be a matter of net run rate importance rather than the risk of a win-lose situation.
Smale's ramp for six off overseas Tom Rogers' first ball helped Glamorgan to take 46 from his three overs with a flurry of shots along the way.
With Glamorgan having no issue with finding their timing, the relentless striking continued - though a few mistimed shots found fortunate results. Not all fell safe with Smale first to go, bringing the inexperienced Alex Horton to free himself for a quick 20 which included four consecutive boundaries off Rogers.
Carlson's 34 in no time ended, similarly to Smale, trying one shot too but with the game all but done following a 70 for 1 powerplay.
Horton's cameo ended pulling Nathan Gilchrist to deep square leg which brought Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram together. Ingram punished Parkinson for two sixes in the same over before being dismissed with two to win, the batters enjoying their short stays.
Asa Tribe came in to find the winning runs after his return from the Netherlands, where he played for Jersey just 24 hours prior. The potentially important figure in the successful chase being the 11.4 overs it took to complete the task.
