Kent claimed their first LV= County Championship Division 2 win of the season on Saturday, thanks largely to Brendan Nash’s amazing 199.

Nash retired ill with Kent just 21 runs short of their manufactured victory target of 411, the effects of batting for five hours on the hottest day of the year taking their toll on the Australian-born former West Indies international.

Exhaustion finally saw Nash's innings end just eight runs short of his career best score. He hit 26 fours and a six in his 230-ball stay and helped Kent to a victory which saw them move off the foot of the table and avoid recording their worst ever start to the season.

James Tredwell's team had started the final day needing 411 in a minimum of 96 overs after Kent’s brave first innings declaration in response to Gloucestershire’s massive 562-5 declared first time around. In fact, Kent took only six wickets with the ball throughout the match but still managed to claim victory.

Kent lost opener Sam Northeast to the second ball of the final day in their run chase and Daniel Bell-Drummond was bowled for 25 to bring Nash to the crease at 48-2. Play was held up as the Kent batsmen struggled to see with the sun shining off scaffolding above the sightscreen but Kent continued to impress until Key, again well set, went for 42 to a legside catch behind the stumps having put on 85 for the third wicket.

Ben Harmison went for 23 but Nash continued to enjoy the bowling, progressing to his third century of the season as Kent reached tea on 247-4.

Darren Stevens continued his quick-scoring season by making 30 in 37 balls but he fell to leave the score on 270-5. Geraint Jones (23) got in but then got out with Kent still 86 runs short of victory and only four wickets remaining.

Vernon Philander departed for just two and it needed the calm influence of captain Tredwell (26) to help put Kent back on track against the second new ball.

Nash went off with Kent 390-7 and, after the lengthy delay, Tredwell departed just two balls later. That left Calum Haggett and Charlie Shreck to see Kent over the line and Shreck, with three boundaries, was 16 not out when Haggett hit the winning runs at the other end.

Victory seemed a long way off when Gloucestershire had reached 348-3 on the opening day at Cheltenham.

Haggett’s double breakthrough had the hosts 74-2 but Chris Dent (153), Alex Gidman (211) and then Hamish Marshall (106) on day two all hit centuries which enabled them to declare.

Kent looked in danger of not avoiding the follow-on when they slipped to 212-4 at one stage, despite a half-century from Key.

But Northeast (94) and Harmison’s century helped steer them to safety.

Stevens crashed 75 from just 71 balls and it enabled Tredwell to declare 11 runs short of a bonus batting point.

His opposite number, Michael Klinger, agreed not to enforce the follow-on and instead helped himself to an unbeaten century from some generous bowling late on day three. The hosts declared on 237-1 in just over 40 overs and set Kent what proved to be a challenging, but not impossible, target for victory.