Joe Denly on the first day at Tunbridge Wells Picture: Barry Goodwin

Kent completed their first win on home soil this season to move off the bottom of the LV= County Championship Division 2 table after beating fellow strugglers Leicestershire by five wickets at Tunbridge Wells.

Set 155 for victory, Joe Denly (74) and Sam Northeast (62) continued their good form in the match, with a second-wicket stand of 135, following the early loss of skipper Rob Key (1), to put the side in a winning position.

They both fell at the same score (137) and then Darren Stevens (4) and Geraint Jones, who bagged a pair, both went with only two runs needed, as Kent suffered a mid-innings wobble for the second time in the game. Left-arm spinner Claude Henderson (4-61) did the damage, in the space of four overs.

Martin Van Jaarsveld (16 not out), hit the winning runs with his third four, as Kent finished on 157-5, earning a maximum 24 points and their first win at the Nevill Ground since 2006.

Leicestershire resumed on the final day on 308-7, Jigar Naik (32) and Henderson (38) taking their overnight stand to 92, before they fell to Adam Ball and Matt Coles with the score on 338.

Skipper Matthew Hoggard (19 not out) helped add 24 for the final wicket before young Kent spinner Adam Riley wrapped up the innings, having last man Nadeem Malik held by Stevens as Leicestershire were dismissed for 362, around 50 minutes before lunch.