SPITFIRES failed to halt one of the longest running win sequences in league cricket as they slid to a six-wicket defeat to Gloucestershire on the final day of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival.

A 5,000 sun-kissed crowd cheered their Gladiators to a 13th successive league win at the Cheltenham College venue as the hosts successfully chased Kent’s 45-over total of 226 for eight to win with eight overs to spare.

Australian left-hander Michael Hussey was the home hero with a top-scoring 107 from 105 balls as he and Gloucestershire skipper Chris Taylor (60) posted 139 in a match-winning fourth-wicket partnership.

Yet Kent’s rookie seamer Rob Joseph had given Spitfires the best of starts with a fifth-ball wicket on league debut when Phil Weston edged an attempted drive to Niall O’Brien to go without scoring.

Overseas’ paceman Ian Butler then accounted for fellow Kiwi Craig Spearman, having the right-hander caught by James Tredwell at short point from a rasping, but uppish drive to make it 19 for two.

Having ridden his luck with the lofted cut twice previously, Matt Windows (20) eventually perished when picking out Matt Dennington running round at wide third-man to give Joseph decent figures of two for 30.

But then Butler limped off after seven overs with a thigh strain, forcing David Fulton to turn to his three spinners.

Neither Tredwell nor Rob Ferley was able to stem the flow of boundaries going the way of Hussey and Taylor, so Fulton called on Alex Loudon and Matt Dennington, who proved equally expensive.

Taylor cantered to 50 from 44 balls, with a consecutive four and six off Tredwell that killed off the last remnants of Kent confidence.

On a bone-dry, occasionally difficult pitch Kent elected to bat first but possibly fell 15 to 20 short of their expected par score.

Having dropped Michael Carberry, the visitors lost makeshift opener Tredwell in the fourth over to a diving catch by Jack Russell’s ebullient replacement Steve Adshead.

After a short stint of pressure by seamers Jonathan Lewis and James Averis, Loudon (9) needlessly gave up his own wicket by advancing to Averis to lift an extra-cover drive to Ian Fisher.

Ed Smith and Michael Bevan came together for an excellent stand of 91 in 18 overs, a partnership marked by exquisite placement and off-side driving.

On his totesport League debut Bevan batted for an hour, threading five fours through a packed cover field until, in backing away to Ian Fisher, he lost off stump when attempting a wristy steer through backward point.

In Fisher’s next over and with his score on 70 from 82-balls, Smith drove firm and hard only to see the left-arm spinner pull off a sharp, low return catch.

Smith stood his ground waiting for confirmation, but had to go after hitting nine fours in what was his sixth 50 in seven one-day innings.

Kent had committed one-day cricket’s cardinal sin of losing two well-set batsmen in the space of three overs and the double blunder forced fifth wicket pair Matthew Walker and Fulton to take time bedding in.

In a desperate bid to up the tempo, Walker took on the occasional spin of Taylor and the short leg-side boundary only to pick out Spearman at deep mid-wicket and go for 18.

Fulton improvised to pick out the gaps, late glancing at Taylor and lofting over mid-wicket, he finally perished for 29 trying a ‘Mal Loye copyright’ sweep off medium-pacer James Averis, who bagged three for 56.

There was some late flourish from Ferley and three useful boundaries from Dennington in his unbeaten 26, yet Kent still had insufficient to dent Gloucestershire’s unbeaten run here dating back to 1998.

Kent: Smith, Tredwell, Bevan, Loudon, Walker, Fulton, Ferley, Dennington, Butler, Joseph, O’Brien.