KENT recorded their third successive Friends Provident Trophy victory with a rain-affected Bank Holiday win over Middlesex that kept a crowd approaching 2,000 on the edge of their seats despite the dank weather.

The Spitfires cantered past their adjusted target of 200 in 30 overs with 16 balls and five wickets in hand after a stylish unbeaten 86 from Martin van Jaarsveld - his competition best.

Overnight rain led to a delayed start which meant Middlesex had only 41 overs to post a working total, yet their effort of 233 for five built around a wonderful unbeaten 95 by Owais Shah seemed a reasonable one, despite a short boundary on the Old Dover Road side of the ground.

Yet Spitfires made mincemeat of the run-chase after rain during the tea interval led to a revised target under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

When Kent's one-day Nemesis Tim Murtagh accounted for Darren Stevens (10) and Andrew Hall (2) it appeared Kent might struggle to come to terms with a slow pitch on which the ball sometimes held up on the surface.

Yet van Jaarsveld, who has struggled for runs since arriving in England after finishing the South African campaign as leading run-scorer, showed how to play.

Forget the improvisation, dismiss the flash strokes, the right-hander just played proper cricket shots in clattering two sixes and 10 fours in his match-winning knock.

He and Geraint Jones added 75 in 12 overs for the third wicket before Jones ran out of patience. With his score on 39 from 50 balls he aimed a reverse sweep against Murali Kartik and had his off stump pushed back.

Two balls later all-rounder Ryan McLaren, promoted to give it some long-handle, perished when trying to clip to short boundary and at 111 for four the result was back in the melting pot.

That bought in skipper Rob Key and van Jaarsveld for a short, but stunning stand of 59 inside five overs that put the result beyond doubt.

Key clattered three sixes and as many fours in plundering 39 from 19 balls, including 24 in one over from Richard Johnson - the former Somerset seamer who Kent had considered signing during the close season.

Johnson had the last laugh by having Key superbly caught by Andrew Strauss running in from deep mid-wicket from the final ball of the over, but in Key's eyes the damage had already been done.

Van Jaarsveld and Matt Walker saw the job through, the latter clipping a four through backward square to finish it and leave Kent with a playing record of three wins from four starts.

The start of the match had been delayed by 90 minutes after overnight rain left the ground staff with a full set of sheets across the square to dry and clear.

Umpires Alan Jones and Barrie Duddleston reduced the game to 41 overs per side so, with showers forecast later in the day, Key was right to field first after winning the toss.

Ashes tourist Ed Joyce (11) was first to go, but the Crusaders re-grouped through former Kent player Ed Smith (19) and Test opener Andrew Strauss (28), who put on 42 in no time until the wheels fell off mid-innings.

McLaren had Strauss stunningly caught by Jones, stood up off a top-edged cut the ex-England gloveman had both feet off the ground yet still held on.

In the next over Simon Cook had Smith well held at mid-wicket by Key diving to his left then, next ball, David Nash nicked a Cook leg-cutter and Jones swallowed the chance.

Jamie Dalrymple survived the hat-trick and went on to chip in with 32 before James Tredwell had him caught reverse-sweeping, leaving centre stage clear for Shah.

Many a pundits choice to win selection for England's Test series with the West Indies starting later this month, the right-hander oozed class in stroking 95 from 89 balls.

Even when shouldering arms he did so with style and he only missed out on a century because he ran out of time. In the end, his 95 and the Middlesex total of 233 for five was not quite enough, but the innings of Shah and van Jaarsveld will live longer in the memory than the result.

Scores: Middlesex 233 for five after 41 overs. Kent 202 for five after 29.2 overs. Kent win by five wickets D/L method.