ROWDE youngster Tom Alsop hit an unbeaten century to send Kent Spitfires crashing to an emphatic six-wicket defeat against Hampshire in their Royal London One-Day Cup opener at Canterbury yesterday.

Hampshire recovered from a patchy start to their bowling display to go on to dominate the last two-thirds of the match with opening batsman Alsop, 21, seeing his side home with 112.

In pursuit of 259 for victory, Hampshire made a disastrous start in losing Michael Carberry lbw to Wayne Parnell's second delivery of the first and only maiden of the match.

Matt Coles offered nothing like the same consistency at the Pavilion End though and, after conceding 35 runs in his first four wicketless overs, was replaced as Hampshire's second-wicket partners Alsop and fellow Wiltshire player James Vince, from Steeple Ashton, bolted, adding 112 in 16 overs.

Vince's 50-ball stay for a majestic 69 ended when he worked across one from Darren Stevens to be sent packing lbw, but Alsop became the game's fourth half-century maker.

Mitch Claydon jagged one down the slope and through the gate to clip the leg stump of Calne's Liam Dawson, then the same bowler found the leading edge of Jimmy Adams' bat for a looping catch to mid-off.

It proved a false dawn under the floodlights, however, as Alsop teamed up with Sean Ervine (33 not out) to add an unbroken 82 for the fifth wicket and ease their side to victory with 29 balls to spare.

Dawson had earlier bagged two wickets in Kent's 258.