Warwickshire Bears need 144 runs off 22 overs to beat Kent Spitfires, after rain delayed their reply to Kent Spitfires' 217 in the Norwich Union Division One encounter at Canterbury.

After a flurry of wickets at the start and finish of their innings, the Spitfires would have been a little disappointed with their eventual total. The second-placed Bears need a win to keep up the pressure on Worcestershire Royals, while victory for the Spitfires would lift them away from the edge of the relegation zone.

Kent lost skipper Matthew Fleming in the first over, caught by Neil Carter off Nick Warren, but that did nothing to curb their early aggression. Robert Key found the rope twice before he was lbw, also to Warren, who took his third wicket when James Hockley was caught behind for 21 (16 balls), trying to add to a tally of five boundaries.

Matthew Walker entered to exercise due caution, and with Andrew Symonds put together much the most substantial partnership of the innings. Symonds was characteristically hard to pin down – Brown and Richardson were deposited over the ropes at mid-wicket and long-on respectively. There was a touch of the Curate's Egg about the Bears' fielding – excellent at times (Trevor Penney and Jim Troughton stood out) and pedestrian at others.

Symonds went for 46, losing his off stump playing back to Alan Richardson, but Walker accelerated after a stodgy start. Missed on 46 – a stinging return catch to Neil Smith, he caused hilarity next ball by throwing his bat several yards away without making any contact with the ball. Four more followed to complete a 96-ball 50, and a massive six in the same over off Smith.

On Walker's departure, lbw to Dougie Brown for 75, Kent lost their way. Without Mark Ealham, who was left out for disciplinary reasons, they subsided from 193 for four to 217 for nine. Geraint Jones got a bottom edge to Keith Piper, Paul Nixon and David Masters both perished having a swing, and James Golding, lifting his foot late, was beautifully stumped by Piper. The hosts had to settle for lesser fare than the 230-240 they would have been aiming to reach in the last five overs.

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