Having been put in by the hosts the Kent batsmen played fantastically, building a platform and then going full on at the end of the innings to set a challenging target of 301 for 4 from their 50 overs. The innings focused around centuries from Van Jaarsveld (122 no) and Denly (102). Harmison was the only successful Durham bowler, taking all four wickets to fall for 47 runs from his 10 overs. Such form next season from the pace man and the ashes odds may start to back England’s chances against Australia.

In reply the home side lost big hitters Mustard and Di Venuto quickly, and were always behind the odds. Benkenstein finished on 80 no but wickets fell around him as the pressure of Kent’s big total, and tight bowling, began to tell. The innings finished on 218, with a late flurry of wickets for Tredwell (3-37) and a couple of inglorious run outs.

Kent now await the outcome of tomorrow’s match between Essex and Yorkshire at Chelmsford to see who they will face in the final at Lord’s on August 16th.

Essex all-rounder Graham Napier had the game of his life in tonight’s Twenty20 match against Sussex at Chelmsford.

Napier scored 152 not out from just 58 balls, hitting 16 sixes and 10 fours. He now holds the record for the number of sixes in a Twenty20 innings, taking the crown from Brendon McCullum. McCullum hit 13 sixes during his magnificent 158 in the opening game of the recent IPL – still (just) the highest individual Twenty20 score.

Essex made 242-3 from their 20 overs. In reply Sussex never really fired. They were all out for 114 in 16.4 overs, losing by a massive 128 runs. If you were to bet on the Ashes squad being announced today – Napier might have a chance!

Middlesex beat Kent by 6 runs at Uxbridge to leave the Southern division wide open. Elsewhere Durham beat Yorkshire to virtually seal their place in the quarter finals, and Worcester did enough to hold up Northants progress, winning by four wickets at New Road.

The advantage of Pikum! over traditional betting sites is that even if a player doesn’t predict what will happen exactly, the prize pool goes to the player with the closest predictions – not to the house. And you can guarantee that you cash in by creating a game – or Pikum – yourself and claiming a percentage of the pot.

To win the prize pool, all you have to do is be the closest at predicting outcomes such as:

Which team will win the match or will it end in a draw?
How many wickets will fall in total during the match?
How many catches will be taken in total during the match?

Sean Glass, founder and managing director of Pikum!, says,

“You may think that you can correctly predict the result of a cricket match but can you predict other elements in the game, such as the total wickets that will fall? The great thing about Pikum is that the player with the closest predictions wins and not the house.”

You can also play Pikums involving other sports, including football, tennis, rugby, Formula One, boxing, and mixed martial arts.