KENT claimed Gloucestershire's last five wickets within two hours on the final day at Beckenham to wrap up a 76-run win and move within nine points of the leaders in LV County Championship Division Two with a game in hand.

It was all-rounder Azhar Mahmood who dealt the death blow, with only his second delivery with the second new ball, nibbling one away off the seam to have last man Steven Kirby (duck) caught at second slip by Martin van Jaarsveld to clinch Kent's third win of the season.

It gave Mahmood excellent figures of five for 39, helping Kent bank 18 points, while Van Jaarsveld pocketed a sixth catch in a surprisingly low- scoring game of only three half-centuries, two of which going to the South African.

Kent needed a good slice of luck before making their first breakthrough of the day to dismiss left-hander Vikram Banerjee for one.

Leaning back to force a short ball from James Tredwell through the covers, the ball duly ricocheted off the right knee of Van Jaarsveld at silly point to be caught by Rob Key at slip.

Mahmood took a fourth wicket when Stephen Snell (duck) padded up to an off-cutter to go leg before, then first innings hero Simon Cook got in on the act by having Gemaal Hussain (eight) caught in the cordon off an edged defensive push.

With the game fast slipping from their grasp, Gloucestershire eventually found a modicum of resistance in the form of a ninth-wicket partnership between Jonathan Lewis and James Franklin that added 57 in 13 overs.

Surprisingly, tail-ender Lewis was the dominant partner with 42.

Indeed eight of his first nine scoring shots were boundaries as the home side kept men around the bat.

The stand came to an end 15 minutes before the scheduled lunch break when left-handed Franklin (41) was enticed by a floated, wider delivery from Tredwell that found the edge for Geraint Jones to pull off a stunning catch stood up.

Tredwell finished with respectable figures of four for 89.

Knowing the end was nigh, Lewis continued to go for his shots and his 61 from 49 balls included 10 fours and two sixes.

He was just one short of equalling his career best when Kirby nicked one from Mahmood to spark Kent's victory celebrations.