KENT lost two more wickets after tea to slide even closer toward defeat against Middlesex at Southgate.

The visitors continu8ed to battle for the draw in reaching 371 for seven, but the loss of Alex Loudon (44) and Min Patel (14) were nails in the coffin.

Loudon went to the second ball after tea, leg before to Owais Shah when right back on his stumps, then Patel went back to cut Jamie Dalrymple only to lose his off stump.

After the demise of Michael Bevan, David Fulton and Matt Walker teamed up to reach 236 before Walker fell soon after lunch when he shouldered arms to a Paul Weekes arm ball to go for 28.

Fulton reached the 24th ton of his career with a straight drive off Melvyn Betts for his 12th four and his first century against Middlesex.

But his 372-minute stay ended when McGrath, with the fourth over with the new ball, found some extra bounce to have Fulton well caught in the gully by Ben Hutton.

In the morning session Kent lost just one vital wicket, that of Australian new-boy Bevan for a solid 66.

The Aussie left-hander had reached 66 inside 224 minutes for his part in a third wicket stand worth 162 in 60 overs when Middlesex struck.

Spinner Paul Weekes made the breakthrough, finding an inside edge for a bat-bad catch that Ben Hutton gleefully accepted one-handed a short leg.