Owais Shah hit a stunning century in a losing cause as Kent landed their first win of the NatWest Pro40 Division Two campaign by beating Middlesex by 12 runs in Canterbury.

Shah bullied his way to 130 from only 94 balls with 14 fours and four sixes, but Kent's inexperienced seam attack prevailed once the pressure began to mount.

The hosts made five changes to the side that lost to Middlesex in the corresponding championship match on Friday as home captain Rob Key rested his entire first-choice bowling attack.

In came Matt Coles, Phil Edwards and Warren Lee, as well as fit-again duo Rob Ferley and Alex Blake.

Responding to Kent's 40-over total of 258 for four, Middlesex appeared to be struggling once Dawid Malan (8) and Eoin Morgan (8) gave catches to deep square leg and cover respectively.

Big-hitting Tyron Henderson was then brilliantly run out when attempting a single to mid-off where Darren Stevens made a diving stop and flicked the ball to the non-striker's end to effect the dismissal.

The game was on a knife-edge until Shah, just four runs short of equalling his one-day best, clipped a full-length ball from Indian-born Lee high to mid-off where Justin Kemp ran around to take a stunning catch and almost assure a home win.

Lee, a 22-year-old right-armer who has played second XI cricket for both Surrey and Middlesex, held his nerve brilliantly at the death to finish with three for 39.

Teenage all-rounder Coles also bagged three for 50 on his Pro40 debut.

Kent's innings at the start of the afternoon had been built around half-centuries from Joe Denly, Geraint Jones and Stevens, who thrashed an unbeaten 75 from only 50 balls.

Batting first after winning the toss, Kent lost Key for four in the fourth over when he toe-ended an attempted drive off David Burton through to wicketkeeper Ben Scott.

It started to look bleak for Kent when anchorman Martin van Jaarsveld holed out to long-on for 10, but the Spitfires re-grouped with a third-wicket stand worth 89 in 17 overs between Denly and Jones.

The partnership ended when Denly, in attempting to hit off-spinner Shaun Udal over his head, miscued to spoon a return catch to the bowler to end his 79-ball innings of 66.

Kent did not score a boundary for nine overs but then Jones then teamed up with Stevens to put the Panthers' attack to the sword, adding 95 in 13 overs for the fourth wicket as Kent pressed the run-rate accelerator to thrill a 4,000-plus crowd.

Jones reached his half-century from 65 balls with only three fours, while Stevens raced to the milestone from only 37 balls with three fours and two sixes.

Jones went for 73 after having his off stump clipped by Tim Murtagh, but Stevens clattered on, hitting 42 of his 75 runs in boundaries as Kent set the Panthers a tough asking rate of 6.45 an over.