Kent’s 10-month wait for an LV= County Championship win ended on Thursday afternoon with a Joe Denly century the mainstay of a successful run-chase against Gloucestershire.

Their nine match winless run in Division 2 came to an end at Bristol on the final day as Jimmy Adams’ side successfully chased down a target of 241 to win by eight wickets and climb into the top half of the table.

Kent had slipped to 35/2 as Daniel Bell-Drummond (3) and Brendan Nash (25) fell inside 12 overs, however Denly and Sam Northeast steadied the ship with a 50-stand before lunch which reached a season's best 208 in the afternoon session, dwarfing the 139 the same pair put on for the fourth wicket against Leicestershire earlier this month.

Denly fell 13 runs short of a ton in that game at Canterbury but registered his fourth Championship half-century in five games after lunch at Bristol, with Northeast following suit suit soon.

Denly, 29, then upped the run-rate and launched three sixes on his way to notching his 16th First Class century with his 12th four from the 179th ball he faced.

It was Denly's first ton since he cracked an unbeaten 134 for Middlesex against Worcestershire on May 5, 2012.

He finished unbeaten on 117 while Northeast was 88 not out.

The final day’s action began in perfect fashion for Kent, who ended the hosts’ second innings with the first ball of the day from Ivan Thomas, who finished with 4-53 and has 14 wickets in his last three Championship games.

Gloucestershire’s second-innings total of 282 was thanks in large part to a 134-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Hamish Marshall (83) and former Kent man Geraint Jones (55), who steered their side from 81/4 - a lead of just 39 runs - to 215/4.

A flurry of five wickets for the addition of just 46 runs late on the third day wrestled the initiative back to Kent, however, with Matt Coles (2-77) and Thomas claiming three wickets inside three overs, with Darren Stevens (3-67) and Calum Haggett completing the burst.

It was the second time in the match the Kent bowlers had torn through the tail as on a rain-interrupted opening day they pegged Gloucestershire back from 164-5 to 193 all-out.

Peter Handscomb’s 69 was the main resistance before he became one of Coles’ three victims for 49, while Gareth Roderick (28) was the only other man past 24 before becoming one of Stevens’ 3-50.

Thomas added a fine 2-22 from 12 tight overs while Haggett notched 2-53, including the prized wicket of home skipper Jones for 13.

Kent’s reply never really gathered pace and the visitors - again skippered by Northeast in the absence of Rob Key - lost regular wickets, slipping to 47/3 and 80/6 before Haggett came in.

The all-rounder saw Sam Billings go for 16 to leave his side on 98/7, still 95 behind, however he was joined in the middle by Matt Coles and the 24-year-old pair built a patient and fruitful stand, putting on 119 in 31 overs, beating the previous best Kent eighth wicket partnership against Gloucestershire of 83, set by Steve Marsh and Ben Phillips in 1998.

Coles eventually fell to Chris Dent for 66 and Haggett followed soon after for a career-best 54 as the visitors eventually posted 235, with Liam Norwell claiming 4-44.