The England Under-19 opener made an unbeaten 111 as Kent chased down Northamptonshire's under-par 243 with ease at Wantage Road for their second win of the campaign
Northampton: Northamptonshire 243, Kent 247-3 - Kent won by seven wickets
Ben Dawkins struck a sparkling maiden List A century to steer Kent to their second One Day Cup victory of the season, beating a youthful Northamptonshire side by seven wickets at Wantage Road.
The in-form England Under-19 opener struck an unbeaten 111, sharing a second-wicket stand of 157 off 181 balls with Joey Evison, who made a fine 82.
Young guns Aadi Sharma and Stuart van der Merwe (37) starred with the bat for the Steelbacks in a stand of 75 off 87 balls characterised by rapid running between the wickets. Sharma made an excellent 82, his maiden List A half-century.
Their stand came after Evison, who bowled his 10 overs straight through, removed Northamptonshire's top order to finish with career best List A figures of 3 for 36.
Matt Parkinson took 2 for 50 as Northamptonshire suffered a middle order collapse, before some lower order hitting from Dom Leech (36), but the hosts' eventual total of 243 all out proved insufficient.
Related: Beckenham provides apt conditions for Kent's first One Day Cup win
Mohammed Rizvi celebrates a wicket as Northamptonshire were restricted to 243 (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Earlier, Luke Procter (15) was caught behind playing at a wide one from Evison. But Sharma was soon into his work, hooking and driving sweetly, although he rode his luck at times.
James Sales fresh from scores of 117 and 98, fell cheaply, adjudged lbw to one that kept low from Evison, while Northamptonshire lost a third when George Bartlett was caught behind off Evison, cutting close to his body.
The drinks break brought a wicket when van der Merwe chipped Leaning straight to long-on, but Sharma continued to attack. He skipped down the pitch to deposit Leaning over extra cover and clipped Flintoff off his legs for six into the old signal box at deep square leg.
The tide turned as Parkinson made a double breakthrough, three wickets falling for five runs in 17 balls. First, Parkinson bowled Lewis McManus round his legs before spinning one past off-stump to take the edge of Sharma's bat through to the keeper. Next delivery, Mohammad Rizvi trapped Rob Keogh plumb lbw.
Leech smashed Rizvi straight to bring up the 50 partnership before Jaydn Denly struck twice in two balls, bowling Leech as he attempted to reverse sweep before bowling Yuzvendra Chahal. Fred Klaassen picked up the final wicket, Varma well caught by a tumbling Flintoff at mid-off.
Dawkins started aggressively, punching several boundaries through the off-side and pulling Procter for a straight six. Denly (20) meanwhile sent a huge six flying over deep midwicket off Leech as Kent raced past 50 inside seven overs.
Dawkins reached 50 with a streaky boundary off Varma, while Evison collected boundaries against the spinners as he hit over extra cover, reaching his own half-century with a sumptuous cover drive off Leech.
Evison crunched van der Merwe for a straight six before he holed out at long-on, Chris Benjamin following soon after in similar fashion off Keogh, but with the target in sight, Dawkins was there to see his side home.
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