Kent’s fourth victory of their Friends Provident t20 campaign, a 12-run success over Gloucestershire at Canterbury on Sunday, lifted the Spitfires off the bottom of the South Group table at the Gladiators’ expense.

But Rob Key’s side still look to have little chance of reaching the quarter-finals, as they trail fourth-placed Hampshire by four points with only four games left.

Martin van Jaarsveld, with his fourth FP t20 half-century of the summer, and Joe Denly were the only batsmen to pass 15 as Kent posted a par-for-the-course total of 165-9.

They had looked set for a bigger total at 105-2 but then fell away badly in the closing overs, losing 7-60 as David Payne claimed 3-25 and Jon Lewis 2-26.

Van Jaarsveld (pictured) timed the ball superbly to collect six fours and a six until he drove over a full-length ball from James Franklin to lose his off-stump.

Denly, who survived a chance at mid-on when on 10, raced on to 44 from 31 balls before he was caught superbly at long-on by Hamish Marshall.

Gloucestershire’s run chase began badly when Will Porterfield turned a leg-stump ball from Azhar Mahmood to Denly at deep square-leg.

And from then on they lost wickets at regular intervals to fall short, including two in three balls to Sri Lankan wrist spinner Malinga Bandara who finished with 3-27.

With Azhar Mahmood and Amjad Khan recording identical figures of 2-27, Gloucestershire were all out for 153 with four balls left despite 40 from James Franklin.

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