Tom Alsop says Sussex are enjoying their cricket as they close in on a Vitality Blast quarter-final place.

Sharks bowled out Kent for just 115 at Canterbury to win by 88 runs.

The hosts’ hopes had soared after Jas Singh took two wickets in three balls, but Alsop hammered Kent with 87 from just 41 deliveries, while John Simpson scored 53 in a fifth-wicket stand worth 139 as Sharks set 203-4.

Tawanda Muyeye hit an elegant 45 but James Coles took 4-12 as the Spitfires wilted in the face of an ever-steepening run rate.

Sussex now prepare to face Essex at Hove on Saturday (2.30pm).

Alsop said: “I think everyone’s really enjoying their cricket, enjoying the format and enjoying the momentum we’ve got in this format.

"Everyone talks that it’s really important getting momentum in this tournament and we also touched on the fact that everyone’s contributing at different times, we’re not relying on one or two people with bat or ball, which is a nice place to be in.

“Everyone’s got the mindset that they want to be the one to be out there, whether it’s ball in hand or facing up and I think that’s just where we’re at the moment. It’s a real strength that that’s where we’re at at the moment."

The partnership between Alsop and Simpson was a Blast record for the fifth wicket for Sussex and their fifth biggest partnership of all time.

Alsop said: “It’s not really something I look at to be honest, I try to avoid those sorts of things, but it’s nice to hear.

"The guys joked upstairs that we’d probably prefer an away quarter-final the way we’re playing but obviously the aim at the start of the comp was to try and guarantee a home quarter-final and hopefully we’ll do that.”

Sussex were 79-4 after ten overs, and 151-4 after 15, giving them a platform to launch an assault in the final five.

Kent missed the cut-off by a minute and with an extra fielder in, Joey Evison’s 20th over went for 21 as Kent’s fielding, so tight for the first half of the innings, went to pieces.

Muyeye lost his opening partner Daniel Bell-Drummond for two when he was lbw to Ollie Robinson and Brad Currie then removed O’Riordan for a three-ball four. Muyeye perished when he flicked Coles to Currie.

Feroze Khushi skied Jack Carson to McAndrew for 22, Billings was bowled by Coles for 14 from seven and Evison dragged a Robinson bouncer onto this stumps and was bowled for six.

Coles took two wickets in four balls, bowled Rogers for one and Gilchrist for a duck.

Jack Leaning straight-drove Currie to the boundary where he was caught and the rout was confirmed when Singh chipped Carson to Hughes.