After failing to defend scores well in excess of 300 in their past two games, Kent managed to defend a meagre total of 200 on their way to their first Royal London One-Day Cup 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.

Joe 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.

After being asked to bat first for the fourth straight game, Kent made a slow start as red-hot Daniel Bell-Drummond, fresh from back-to-back centuries, departed for a first-ball duck.

Joe Denly (19) and Sam Northeast steadied the ship with a 53-run stand over the following 12 overs, and Sean Dickson joined Northeast for another 44 from the following 10.

Dickson fell to James Franklin (2-26) for 29 to leave the hosts on 97/3 and his skipper followed him back at the end of the 28th over, Northeast departing for 55 from 78 balls - his 13th List A half-century - with seven fours.

With Kent now 116-4, the focus fell on Darren Stevens and Alex Blake, however they were ousted for 18 and two respectively, and only a breezy 32 from Wayne Parnell, from 30 balls featuring four boundaries, kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Adam Rouse (9) and Matt Coles (4) followed the crowd back to the changing room and it was 173/9 before Mitch Claydon clubbed Kent's only six and a four in his run-a-ball 19 which steered Spitfires to 200 all-out from 46 overs, before he was bowled by Toby Roland-Jones (3-35 from 10 tight overs.

At the interval 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 they soon began to exert pressure.

Parnell accounted for both openers in his second over, Dawid Malan (8) and Nick Gubbins (1) leaving their side on 11/2 though Adam Voges and Nick Compton spent 11 overs adding 38 runs to stem the tide.

Stevens took a sharp caught and bowled chance to oust Voges for 21, tumbling to his left and clinging on to make it 49/3 and James Simpson (7) was run-out by sub Will Gidman soon after.

Compton (37) dragged his side into three figures before he mistimed one off Tredwell to Coles with more than 20 overs remaining.

Tredwell produced a fine spell of 1-29 from 10 overs, including a maiden but his co-spinner Joe Denly 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 with 10 overs still to come but a stunning catch from Denly - who had trapped Roland-Jones for two in his previous over - off his own bowling led to wild celebrations and sent Franklin back to the pavilion for 33 from 62 balls, taking his side's chances with him.

Denly's previous best return of 3-19 came for club side Brothers in Bangladesh in 2015.

James Fuller (11) skied a Claydon delivery to Northeast with his side still 56 adrift and Tom Helm (15 not out) was left high and dry with four overs left when Ravi Patel smashed one back to Parnell who finished his final Canterbury appearance with 3-33 as the visitors were 154 all-out.

Kent visit Gloucestershire at Bristol on Wednesday before trips to Surrey (Friday) and Glamorgan (Sunday).