DANIEL Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly both starred with the bat as Kent Spitfires launched their NatWest T20 Blast campaign in style by romping to an eight-wicket win over Somerset at Canterbury.

Last season's quarter-finalists made light work of the run-chase as they pursued Somerset's 197 for seven, landing victory with 16 balls to spare.

The hosts were given a stunning start to their innings by in-form Bell-Drummond and Denly, who posted 150 for the first wicket in 12.3 overs - a Kent record Twenty20 partnership for any wicket against any county.

In front of a 5,000 crowd, Kent's openers dismantled the Somerset attack with boundaries to all parts of the ground.

Bell-Drummond, who is approaching 600 first-class runs for the season already, led the way with an unbeaten 83 off 47 balls, smacking 10 fours and a brace of sixes.

Having taken 22 off one over from former Kent seamer Yasir Arafat, Bell-Drummond was dropped in the deep on 34, but never looked back thereafter, taking the man-of-the-match award after clubbing the winning boundary.

Denly, fresh from a career-best 206 not out against Northamptonshire this week, holed out for an excellent 75 from 38 deliveries, then Kent skipper Sam Northeast edged to short third man for 27 with the finishing line in sight, but Bell-Drummond saw the Spitfires home.

Batting first after winning the toss Somerset made a mixed start. They lost Johann Myburgh to the seventh ball of the match when he tamely drove the first delivery of the second over, from David Griffiths, to Darren Stevens at mid-off.

The dismissal brought together ex-Kent all-rounder Peter Trego and his skipper Jim Allenby, who combined to set the tempo for the visitors' innings with a second-wicket stand of 134 inside 12 overs.

Allenby took three successive boundaries off Matt Coles while Trego heaved a leg-side six off James Tredwell that pitched into the building site that by next summer will be McCarthy & Stone retirement flats.

Somerset reached 53 for one at the end of the six powerplay overs and by the first ball of the 11th over Allenby and Trego had raised a century stand with an Allenby six over long-on off Stevens.

Allenby raised his 50 from 32 balls, while Trego reached the milestone off only 26 deliveries at which point Somerset looked set fair for a score in excess of 220.

It was the introduction of Fabian Cowdrey, the left-arm spinner, that changed the course of the night. With his uncle Graham, the former Kent batsman and ECB cricket liaison officer watching from the stands, the 23-year-old proceeded to stem the flow of runs with a golden-armed spell of three for 18.

Cowdrey had Trego, for 57, Ryan Davies and Jamie Overton all caught in the deep while, at the other end, Coles accounted for Michael Leask to a catch at long-on.

Kent's attack bowled superbly at the death as Griffiths cleaned up Roelof van der Merwe and Claydon denied Allenby, who made 91, his ton by pegging back off stump with a full ball via the toe-end of the bat.

The Somerset skipper faced 59 balls, hit 10 fours and three sixes, but his efforts proved in vain as Kent romped home.