On a night where runs and boundaries were at a premium Kent held their nerve to secure a cup double and a four-wicket Twenty20 Cup win over Middlesex in Canterbury.

Chasing a modest target of 105 for their second South Division win in three starts, unbeaten Kent eased home with 10 balls to spare to keep alive their hopes of making it to finals day for a third successive season.

Yet this was no rerun of last season's Twenty20 Cup final thriller.

Kent's top scorer Ryan McLaren made 43 runs and hit only one boundary and there were only 14 boundaries on the night.

The last of them, a sliced drive to cover from the bat of all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, at least completed the win.

Earlier only three Middlesex batsmen limped into double figures in a 20-over innings that included only six boundaries.

Batting first on a pitch of excellent pace and bounce Panthers lost three wickets in 29 balls as Robbie Joseph, generating good pace, fired out two for 14. His figures would have been better but for two no balls.

Joseph had Nick Compton (6) caught at point and then forced Owais Shah (6) to mis-time a drive to wide mid-on where Darren Stevens took a comfortable catch.

Two overs later Simon Cook snared former Kent batsman Neil Dexter leg before aiming across the line and, when ace improviser Eoin Morgan clipped Justin Kemp's first ball of the game straight to deep square-leg, Middlesex were deep in trouble at 40 for four at the mid-point of their innings.

With big-hitting Tyron Henderson at the crease a Middlesex recovery seemed likely, but even Henderson needed a helping hand.

Kent dropped the South African twice in one over. With his score on 13 Kemp dropped

a stinging drive off his own bowling then, with Henderson of 14, Martin van Jaarsveld downed an over-the-shoulder opportunity at point.

Henderson took advantage by top-scoring with an unbeaten 31 from 37 balls but, as one of the Indian Premier League's most expensive signings, even he failed to hit a four.

He did at least club Panthers' only six of the night over deep mid-wicket off a James Tredwell full toss, but even so, Middlesex failed to score at a run a ball.