Middlesex concluded their Vitality T20 Blast South group-stage campaign with a win over Kent Spitfires in Canterbury.

Crucial lower-order runs from Luke Hollman and Eathan Bosch helped them post 172-6.

While Kent opener Daniel Bell-Drummond offered 47, the dismissals of him and skipper Sam Billings in the same over proved key.

Spitfires skipper Billings won the toss, opting to field, as all-rounder Jaydn Denly came in from the team that suffered a nine-wicket defeat to Surrey. The 20-year-old replaced bowler Matt Milnes.

Also looking to end on a high after a home loss to Sussex Sharks, Bosch came in for Noah Cornwell for the visitors.

Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud made the first breakthrough. He trapped Josh de Caires in front.

While he also set Max Holden’s stumps back with the first delivery he faced, he did so off a no-ball.

Holden clubbed the final ball of Mahmud’s second over to the fence. He had shared a 45-run stand with Matt Boyle before the opener was bowled by spinner Jake Lintott for 21.

Away captain Leus du Plooy thrashed his first delivery for four but soon paddled teenager Ekansh Singh to wicketkeeper Billings.

Middlesex’s first maximum came as Ben Geddes clubbed spinner Denly to the leg-side boundary. He lost his partner, however, when Holden tamely hit a drive back at Lintott.

Joe Cracknell went down the ground for four but was out off the next ball from debutant Denly, cracking straight to Bell-Drummond.

Geddes had looked good for 32 until he was dismissed by Mahmud’s yorker.

But the 18th over was a key one as Hollman and Bosch sent a Grant Stewart over for 20.

The pair’s partnership finished on 52. Bosch crashed the final ball by Australian Tom Rogers for six to end 23 not out while Hollman was unbeaten on 34.

Middlesex began with Pakistan overseas Zafar Gohar’s spin, although his first over went for 10, including two Tawanda Muyeye fours.

But Muyeye was run-out in the fourth over by wicketkeeper Cracknell. With Bell-Drummond fearing he had chopped on, he was unmoved as the 25-year-old found himself stranded and Cracknell threw down the stumps.

Bell-Drummond then hooked Tom Helm to the fine-leg boundary for Spitfires’ first six.

He lost another Kent partner as Zak Crawley found Holden on the leg-side boundary off Gohar’s drag-down.

Billings switch-hit Gohar for back-to-back boundaries in an over that went for 17 to leave Kent 80-2 at halfway.

But Bell-Drummond fell in similar style to Crawley. He pulled a short Boyle ball to Bosch as he went for 47 before Billings was stumped, minutes later.

Left with plenty to do, Kent lost Denly when he was stumped from Hollman for nine and Gohar bowled Harry Finch. Singh crunched Gohar to cover for wicket No.7.

As Helm bowled some three wides in the penultimate over, a Stewart six left Spitfires needing 21 off the last over.

But neither Stewart or Rogers could enough off Naavya Sharma to produce the required final-over heroics as Spitfires fell 15 runs short.

Middlesex captain Leus du Plooy said: “It’s pleasing to get a win in the last game.

“We sort of had figured out a nice formula in terms of how to play as a team. We have made some changes, which have been very promising for us.

“Naavya Sharma, once again, showed his class towards the end there. It’s pretty exciting but the flip-side is it’s sort of a repeat of how it has gone before.

“We have started pretty poorly and found something towards the back-end.

“Hopefully, the boys have learnt a few lessons, going into next season and, hopefully, we can get similar feelings straight away, rather than waiting until we’re out of the competition.”

Kent head coach Adam Hollioake said: “I don’t think it was flat, we just played poorly again.

“The idea is we have played all the games at 100 percent enthusiasm. But we just haven’t played very well and it doesn’t look very good.

“I don’t think it is an enthusiasm thing. We just haven’t been able to string together big partnerships.

“I don’t how many 20-run or 30-run partnerships we have had – we have a lot – we just haven’t kicked on and had those 100-run partnerships that win games.

“That’s something we have got to look at.”

Picture supplied by Kent Cricket