Some brilliant batting from Chad Bowes and Cam Fletcher has seen the Canterbury Kings ease to victory against the Wellington Firebirds.
Chasing 152 for victory at the Basin Reserve, Bowes got the Kings off to a fast start, finding the rope on several occasions through the offside on his way to a game high 62.
He found support in wicketkeeper-batsman Cam Fletcher, who smashed an unbeaten 52 off just 28 balls, a knock that included four sixes and five fours.
Canterbury chased down the Firebirds' total with almost four overs remaining, having earlier stifled the defending champions' powerful batting lineup.
Swashbuckling Firebirds batsman Finn Allen had got the home side off to a flying start, smashing Black Caps pacer Matt Henry for three boundaries on the trot, including two sixes.
But it was Henry who got the last laugh, spearing in a yorker that cannoned into Allen's stumps.
While the run rate remained high, the Firebirds continued to lose wickets on a consistent basis, and were soon struggling at 76/6.
Some late order cameos from Tim Robinson (32), Logan van Beek (22) and Peter Younghusband (21) helped the Firebirds to a competitive total of 151 from their 20 overs.
But it proved to be a fair way under-par as the Kings barely broke a sweat chasing down the target.
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