It’s now three straight T20 Blast wins for Kent Spitfires who eased past Gloucestershire in Bristol in front of the TV cameras on Saturday evening.

Opener Daniel Bell-Drummond struck his third consecutive half-century while Jordan Cox also shone - both in the field and in an unbroken 61-run stand with Bell-Drummond - for Kent, who retain hopes of a top-four finish in the South group.

Spitfires skipper Sam Billings said: “We haven’t exactly been playing terrible cricket throughout the whole tournament.

“We lost on the last ball against Surrey at Canterbury, Sean Abbott has kind of had a day out when we were on top [at The Kia Oval], so all the games have been really tight – Somerset, we lost by 12 runs and it was effected by the weather. We’ve been playing really good cricket.

“Freddie Klaassen coming back has made a huge impact, we all know what a class bowler he is. Certainly, for a captain, where I can lock him in to take wickets in the powerplay, that makes a huge amount of difference.

“Just little things have started to click. We have started to find our rhythm, batters are getting substantial scores – and that makes a huge amount of difference – you need guys getting 60 or 70-plus.

“That’s how you get those big scores. We’re starting to do that. The bowlers are going from strength-to-strength.

“It’s really good with just how we have adapted to different conditions gameplan-wise but, also, our skill and execution is getting better and better.”

Billings, who named an unchanged side from the one which had beaten Middlesex the previous night, won the toss and elected to field first.

And the visitors made the perfect start, Grant Roelofsen finding Jack Leaning at slip off the first ball from bowler Fred Klaassen (1-24).

Gloucestershire initially recovered well. Ben Wells blasted a six and a four off veteran Michael Hogan (2-37) before captain Miles Hammond delivered his first maximum.

Kane Richardson (2-20) was brought into the attack and, after his opening delivery went for four wides, the 32-year-old Australian’s first over ended up being worth 16 to leave the home side 38-1 after four overs.

With Hogan switching ends, the next over wasn’t much better as it went for three boundaries.

But 51-1 swiftly became 73-6. Kent initially broke a 51-run stand when Wells was bowled by Richardson for a run-a-ball 15 and then Ben Charlesworth heaved an attempted hook to Tawanda Muyeye at deep backward square-leg to go for a duck.

Gloucestershire were 57-3 at the end of the powerplay and that became 57-4 with Cox, who proved crucial in the field, excellently running out Ollie Price for five from Grant Stewart’s first delivery (2-19).

Hammond was next to go - albeit he seemed unimpressed with the decision - adjudged to have edged Leaning (2-16) behind for 30.

South African all-rounder George Linde (0-15) and particularly Leaning were turning the screw nicely, as Graeme van Buuren picked out Cox at long-off to be dismissed for six, with the hosts’ early good work being undone.

A sorely-needed Gloucestershire maximum came when Pakistan’s Zafar Gohar struck a blow from Leaning’s bowling just over Cox to leave them 95-6 after 14 overs.

Hogan dropped Tom Price at short fine-leg off Klaassen in the next over and Gohar sent the next ball for four. But Gohar’s stay didn’t last much longer as he clubbed Hogan into the sky on 25 where Cox took a catch to leave the hosts 104-7.

Cox couldn’t keep himself out of the action at this stage. An eventful Matt Taylor three-ball seven was ended by another catch by the 22-year-old - again off Hogan.

The 17th over was started by Richardson but he came off with an injury before Stewart replaced him in the attack. He promptly got Tom Price to sky one for 11, which Billings got underneath well.

Gloucestershire began the last over 127-9 and, although David Payne hit a four and a massive six into the flats behind the ground from Stewart, he then picked out Leaning to leave his side 137 all out with three balls left after his nine-ball 16.

Kent’s chase got off to the ideal start when a Muyeye inside edge squirted to the legside boundary but he went for five, soon after. Bell-Drummond attempted a quick single, only for 22-year-old Muyeye to be run out by Payne (0-19) off his own bowling.

That stifled what is usually a positive Spitfires start somewhat as they were 13-1 after three overs before more than doubling their score in the fourth over, which was bowled by Tom Price (1-29).

He got his revenge in the sixth over, though, with his first T20 wicket coming in fine fashion. He took a caught and bowled to dismiss Joe Denly for 11, with Kent 40-2 at the end of the powerplay.

Bell-Drummond had come into the game in great nick and he moved Kent to 50 in the seventh over with a pull for four.

Ollie Price’s spin was then introduced but he was sent for a reverse-swept four and a legside six in successive balls by Billings.

Indeed, the Spitfires looked in control at 77-2 at the halfway stage, only to lose Billings for 28 when he was run out by a direct hit from Wells after a miscued reverse sweep.

Cox was having quite the night and switch-hit Gohar (0-19) for six while Bell-Drummond’s latest maximum brought up Spitfires’ 100 in the 14th over.

The victory line was now heading into sight for Kent as Cox nailed successive boundaries from the bowling of Payne.

A two for Bell-Drummond brought up his half-century in 46 balls and he then got them across the line with three overs to spare with a single.

Bell-Drummond finished 56 not out as Cox added an unbeaten 31 in 20 balls to complete a triumph which came in similar style to last month’s victory in Canterbury when the sides met.