KENT secured second spot in the Frizzell championship and with it £50,000 for the players’ bonus fund after beating Middlesex inside three days in Canterbury.

Finishing the season in style to land their seventh win of the Division 1 campaign, Kent, having secured an impressive first innings lead of 300, set about dismissing Middlesex for 251 inside 70 overs to win by an innings and 49 runs.

Off-spinner Alex Loudon was the pick of the Kent attack, claming career-best figures of six for 47.

Kent were made to wait 22 overs for their first breakthrough before Simon Cusden struck with his fifth ball of the day to have Sven Koenig caught behind off an edged drive.

The slow bowlers then came to the fore, with Min Patel claiming two and Alex Loudon one. Patel had Ben Hutton (32) caught at silly point and Owais Shah (14) caught at point after attempting to cut.

Alex Loudon then gained some extra bounce to brush the outside edge of Paul Weekes’ bat to give David Fulton a simple slip catch and make it 155 for four.

After tea Loudon bagged two more in as many balls, having Jamie Dalrymple (20) stumped leg-side by Niall O’Brien and then Ben Scott (0) was trapped leg before next ball to Loudon’s doosra.

Loudon went on to snare his second five-wicket haul by bowling Simon Cook (15) through the gate and having Chris Peploe (6) caught at mid-off after miscuing a drive.

Melvyn Betts (5) was well stumped by O’Brien after missing an attempted drive then Loudon polished it off by ending the resistance of Middlesex skipper Ed Joyce.

The Irish left-hander batted for 159 minutes for his 74 runs before scooping a mistimed drive to Ben Trott diving forward at mid-on to finish the game and the season with 11 overs and a day in hand.

Earlier, Matthew Walker posted the third century of the innings from 173 balls and with 10 fours and a six before becoming one of the late victims falling to spin.

Attempting to sweep Dalrymple, Walker dragged his back foot to give Ben Scott a sharp stumping opportunity.

The Middlesex spinners Paul Weekes (2-91) and Dalrymple (4-66) ran through the tail thereafter with Ben Hutton taking three catches at short leg.