Kent’s 2014 season ended on a low note with a 244-run humbling at home to Gloucestershire in LV= County Championship Division 2 on Friday.

The comprehensive result came on the back of a huge turnaround as the hosts had reduced Gloucestershire to 62-8 in their first innings, only to end up with a first-innings deficit.

Mitch Claydon finished the season strongly, claiming nine wickets in the match, and David Griffiths took three wickets in four balls at one point as he recorded career best Championship figures of 6-63, however there was disappointment for Darren Stevens who narrowly missed out on the Professional Cricketer Association’s MVP honour and £10,000 prize money.

Day one began well for Kent, despite having lost the toss, with Stevens (3-45) and Claydon (5-61) ripping through the top-order, reducing Gloucestershire to 29-5 and 62-8, only for Craig Miles (48) and David Payne (54 not out) to add 90 for the ninth wicket and Liam Norwell (18) to put on another 27 for the final wicket with Payne.

Their total of 157 looked in danger, despite Fabian Cowdrey, opening in place of the injured Rob Key, and skipper Sam Northeast falling for single figures.

Daniel Bell-Drummond and Brendan Nash went for 15 apiece and Stevens followed for 23 as it needed 73 from Sam Billings to steer Kent towards three figures.

They slipped to 99-6 when Calum Haggett departed but Billings and Griffiths (12) put on 41 for the ninth wicket and Kent were eventually bowled out for 164 on day two.

The visitors made batting look easy in their second innings with Chris Dent (47) and Will Tavare putting on 104 for the opening wicket, and Tavare making 105 on his own and sharing 116 for the third wicket with Alex Gidman.

222-2 became 222-4 as Claydon ousted Tavare and Marshall (0) in the same over, but Gidman cruised to 140, adding 124 for the fifth wicket with Ian Cockbain (37).

Wickets did arrive with five falling for the addition of just 10 runs as 346-4 became 356-9, Griffiths dismissing Benny Howell, Miles and Payne in a four-ball spell in the same over, having narrowly missed a hat-trick.

However a 76-run partnership between Tom Smith and Norwell for the final wicket left Kent needing a record 448 runs in a day and a session to win.

Bell-Drummond, Cowdrey, Nash and Billings all departed before the close on Thursday, and though 57-4 improved to 155-4 thanks to Stevens and Northeast, the all-rounder departed for 47, caught by Marshall off left-arm spinner Smith (4-35), to fall agonisingly short of the mark set by Warwickshire’s Jeetan Patel.

Northeast hung around for 62 to join Stevens in passing 900 runs for the season on the final day, but once he was caught behind off Norwell the game was up and the hosts were eventually dismissed for 203, losing their last five wickets for the addition of 32 runs.

After claiming just three points, Kent finished sixth, having begun the game with a chance of fourth.