Watch highlights of the final day's play
Gloucestershire finished their LV= County Championship season on a high and denied Kent the chance of a potential fourth-placed Division Two finish when they cruised to an emphatic 244-run victory with two sessions to spare at the Spitfire Ground.
The visitors dismissed Kent for 203, mopping up their final five wickets in an extended session for only 32 runs to inflict a sixth defeat on the injury-hit hosts and bank 19 points for their win.
Kent, having dominated the opening session of the match to have Gloucestershire reeling on 62 for eight, lost every session thereafter to glean a meagre three points from a disappointing final game of the summer.
Already in trouble going into the last day on an overnight score of 95 for four and in pursuit of an unlikely victory target of 438, Kent performed more admirably at first as Darren Stevens and acting skipper Sam Northeast dug in.
.@Gloscricket win by 244 runs! Great finish to the season!
— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) September 26, 2014
The fifth-wicket partners looked untroubled in adding 98 in 28.1 overs until Stevens, three short of a half-century that would probably have made sure of him clinching the PCA's £10,000 first prize for winning the FTI Most Valuable Player of the season award - promptly got himself out.
Leaning back to cut the seemingly innocuous slow left-arm spin of Tom Smith, the Kent right-hander simply steered a catch to Hamish Marshall and, after pausing in a moment of disbelief, sloped off shaking his head.
Northeast, fresh from centuries in his last three championship games against Essex, Glamorgan and Hampshire, continued to look in prime form as he posted his fifth fifty of the summer from 98 balls and with seven fours.
He lost his sixth-wicket partner Calum Haggett just before the scheduled lunch break, however, when the left-hander turned a bat-pad catch to short-leg to give Smith his second scalp of the session.
We'd like to say a huge thank you to all our loyal members and supporters for your continued support throughout the 2014 season.
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) September 26, 2014
Northeast's purple patch came to an end four overs later when, in attempting to leg-glance Liam Norwell's second ball of the day, he found an unlucky inside edge through to Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick.
In his next over Norwell uprooted the off stump of Mitchell Claydon and, with Kent staring down the barrel of defeat on 187 for eight, delayed the lunch break.
Tailender David Griffiths, having taken career-best bowling figures of 6-63 on yesterday, blotted his copybook with a wild slog across the line to lose his off stump.
Then Gloucestershire duly wrapped up their fourth win of the campaign when James Tredwell chipped meekly to wide mid-on to give Smith slightly flattering figures of 4-35.
Kent ended the season lying sixth in the second tier, while Gloucestershire finish seventh.