Opening batsmen Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond compiled a world-record T20 opening partnership of 207 as Kent moved closer to qualifying for the NatWest Blast knockout stages with an 11-run win over Essex.
Denly led the onslaught with 127 from 66 balls, including 11 fours and seven sixes, beating his own Kent record score of 116. The stand with Bell-Drummond (80 not out) was the third highest for any wicket in the history of the competition.
It also beat the 163 - a Kent record for any wicket at the time - the same two batsmen put on earlier in the season against Surrey.
However, after being put in they were run close by the hosts at Chelmsford, for whom Varun Chopra hit a career-best T20 114.
Chopra's 58-ball innings included nine sixes and six fours and when he was out in the 18th over, Essex were 29 runs short - but they finished 11 runs adrift.
Kent now know a third successive victory on Friday against Surrey at Canterbury will take them through to the last eight.
Essex also require a win at Hove against Sussex to stand any chance of making the South Group's top four.
For Essex, only Mohammad Amir, who finally removed Denly in the penultimate over, returned decent bowling figures - his four overs cost 20. Of Essex's other six bowlers, only Ravi Bopara went for less than 10 an over. In contrast, Calum Haggett conceded just 18 in his four in Essex's reply.
The start of play was delayed for 20 minutes after an air ambulance had landed on the outfield to attend to a steward who had suffered a suspected heart attack.
Denly hit 37 of Kent's first 50 runs and reached the 23rd T20 half-century of his career from the 27th ball he faced.
Denly's third six came from a free hit after an inadvertent beamer from Paul Walter and a fourth cleared the ropes in the same midwicket vicinity in an over that went for 22 runs and took Kent to three figures in 12 overs.
Bell-Drummond reached his 50 from 35 balls before De nly brought up his second century of the campaign with a boundary past mid-off. It had taken him 54 balls and contained 10 fours and five sixes. Another six took Denly to the highest of his three T20 centuries.
There was drama when the world record was broken - it looked as if Denly had gone to a catch on the long-leg boundary by Callum Taylor for 119 until the fielder admitted he trod on the rope and the batsman was reprieved and credited with his seventh six.
Denly was finally out in the 19th over when he went for another big hit against Amir and was caught behind by James Foster.
Kent lost a second wicket in the final over when Sam Billings was caught behind to give Walter his 15th victim of the season - but at a personal cost of 65 runs on the night.
Essex were 94 without loss after six overs, with Chopra reaching his half-century from 19 balls - including 30 off Mitchell Claydon in the sixth over.
Having put on 118 for the first wicket in nine overs, Dan Lawrence departed for a 22-ball 41 - and at the halfway point they needed 95 from 10 overs.
The hosts lost Bopara on 138, caught sweeping at Qayyum and only 37 runs were scored from the ninth to the 14th over, with Zaidi holing out to deep square leg.
A straight six, Chopra's eighth maximum, took him to his century from 52 balls but he managed just one more before being caught.
Essex needed 16 from the last over - but captain Ryan ten Doeschate fell with the second ball and Adam Milne tied up Walter and Foster in the final four balls.
Source: PA
