Kent pulled off an astonishing victory by three wickets after they had been left facing apparent defeat when they lost their seventh wicket still 77 runs short of their victory target with 11 overs remaining.

But Matthew Walker resurrected his side with an unbeaten 106 from 121 deliveries and he found a welcome ally in the inexperienced James Golding as the pair combined to steer Kent home to an unlikely success with five balls remaining.

Half the side were back in the pavilion with only 102 runs on the board but Walker stood firm to arrest the slide. James Hockley, who scored 27, added 49 runs in nine overs with the left-hander, to give initial impetus to the innings before Golding filled the void upon his dismissal.

Walker deservedly won the Gold Award for his masterful display and although he only struck six boundaries, his exhibition of perfect timing continually found the gaps to keep the scoreboard moving along.

Golding survived a difficult chance to Stuart Law at mid-on when he was on ten and the score 209-7 but thereafter, he struck the ball sweetly to complement Walker's outstanding efforts as the pair wrested the initiative away from the home side.

Earlier, Darren Robinson with a belligerent 69 and Nasser Hussain with a more circumspect 58, put on 129 runs for the Essex first wicket before being separated and the tempo was maintained despite three unnecessary run-outs with 74 runs added in the final ten overs to set Kent their challenging total.

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