Unlikely match-winner Joe Denly insists Kent have not become a bad team overnight and they have confidence to take into the final few Royal London One-Day Cup games.

After failing to defend scores well in excess of 300 in their previous two games, the Spitfires managed to defend a meagre total of 200 on their way to their first white-ball win of the season on Sunday.

After three straight defeats to begin the campaign, the Spitfires beat Middlesex by 46 runs at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, to keep their slim hopes of a run to the knockout stages alive.

Denly was the unlikely hero against his former club, though it was his bowling rather than his bat which made the difference, claiming a domestic career best 3-20 to help Kent turn the screw in the reply.

He said: “I’m always keen for a bowl and I’m always in Sam Northeast’s ear trying to get one. I was delighted to get a few overs. The guys got us off to a great start and it enabled me to come on and create a couple of opportunities.”

He added: “We thought 200 was probably below par although the wicket did offered quite a bit of assistance early on.

“What turned it for us was starting so well with the new ball. Wayne Parnell and Matt Coles were brilliant up top and and Wayne got us two key wickets - Nick Gubbins has been going really well and we know Dawid Malan is a dangerous player.

“After that start our confidence grew and we were able to dry it up quite nicely in the middle too.”

After Spitfires posted 200 all-out from 46 overs hopes were not high that Kent’s five-man bowling attack could stem the flow which saw them give up nearly 700 runs in their previous two encounters, however Parnell accounted for both openers in his second over, Darren Stevens took a sharp caught and bowled chance and James Tredwell produced a tight spell of 1-29 from 10 overs, including a maiden.

However it was his co-spinner Denly who claimed a fine scalp when he had Ryan Higgins (10) nick one to Adam Rouse to make it 118/6 with the result still in the balance.

It was 123/7 when Denly trapped Toby Roland Jones (2) but a stunning diving one-handed catch from Denly off his own bowling led to wild celebrations and sent James Franklin back to the pavilion for 33, taking his side’s chances with him.

Modest Denly claimed: “It was just a reaction catch, I stuck my hand out and it stuck. It was one of those fluke moments but a great feeling.

“It was a big wicket I suppose. He was going pretty well. He probably got done with a bit of drift - I’m not a massive turner of the ball but it was drifting nicely.”

Denly’s previous best return of 3-19 came for club side Brothers in Bangladesh in 2015 and he admitted: “The pitch that day probably provided a bit more assistance.”

Parnell who finished his final Kent appearance with 3-33 as the visitors were 154 all-out.

Denly added: “We spoke before the game on the back of two disappointing defeats and (Northeast) just said go out and play with freedom and express yourselves.

“It probably didn’t quite go to plan with the bat but with the ball I thought we bounced back brilliantly.”

He added: “We have to keep playing with that freedom - there’s the belief there without a doubt. We don’t become a bad team overnight. There’s certainly quality in there. This is only going to do great things for our confidence.”

Kent return to action at Gloucestershire on Wednesday before trips to Surrey on Friday and Glamorgan on Sunday.