A match of extraordinary drama that swung back and forth numerous times was won by Kent after Justin Kemp ran out Jade Dernbach, Surrey's last man, when he attempted a suicidal single to short mid-wicket.

With two balls left unused and just two needed for victory, Dernbach and Andre Nel will still be wondering how they got their calling so badly wrong, but egged on by a boisterous 15,000 crowd, they momentarily lost their heads.

Kent, for their part, will be feeling mightily relieved that their hopes of a quarter-final place were not seriously undermined by something as indisciplined as a slow over-rate, a cardinal sin in Twenty20 cricket.

For when the nineteenth over ended with Surrey still 14 short, the requirement was significantly reduced when Kent were given a six-run penalty. That left Surrey needing a manageable eight off the final over, bowled by Ryan McLaren.

Surrey had appeared to be on course for victory when they hurtled to 52 off the first four overs, thanks in no small part to Robbie Joseph, who bowled three no-balls and a wide, conceding 32 off his first eight legitimate balls. But Darren Stevens, who bowled a tight spell, broke a third-wicket stand of 87 in nine overs between Usman Afzaal and James Benning. Later, Stevens ran out Matt Spriegel with a pinpoint boundary throw.

Afzaal finished with 62 from 41 balls, but got out in the seventeenth over with 32 still needed. Kent, who charged to 100 for one after ten overs, also lost momentum after Martin van Jaarsveld fell for 54 from 32 balls.

Kent
J L Denly c Elliott b Nel 8
*R W T Key c Elliott b Spriegel 44
M van Jaarsveld c Elliott b Afzaal 54
D I Stevens lbw b Elliott 5
J M Kemp c Walters b Schofield 17
Azhar Mahmood c Elliott b Schofield 15
R McLaren not out 8
G O Jones not out 3
Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 5, nb 4) 14
Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 168
J C Tredwell, S J Cook and R H Joseph did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-107, 3-116, 4-126, 5-152, 6-152.
Bowling: Nel 4-0-22-1; Dernbach 4-0-42-0; Spriegel 3-0-19-1; Schofield 4-0-42-2; Elliott 4-0-29-1; Afzaal 1-0-9-1.

Surrey
S A Newman c Van Jaarsveld b McLaren 2
J G E Benning c Cook b Stevens 38
M R Ramprakash c Jones b Joseph 0
*U Afzaal b Mahmood 62
S J Walters st Jones b Stevens 4
G D Elliott b Tredwell 2
M N W Spriegel run out 13
G C Wilson run out 5
C P Schofield b Mahmood 9
A Nel not out 9
J W Dernbach run out 2
Extras (lb 6, w 3, nb 6, p 6) 21
Total (19.4 overs) 167
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-12, 3-99, 4-112, 5-117, 6-134, 7-137, 8-148, 9-154.
Bowling: McLaren 3.4-0-26-1; Joseph 2-0-36-1; Mahmood 4-0-32-2; Cook 2-0-14-0; Stevens 4-0-21-2; Tredwell 4-0-26-1.
Umpires: N L Bainton and I J Gould.