Kent seal promotion to Division One as Northamptonshire collapse for 103 at Lord's

Kent seal promotion as Northamptonshire's hopes die for 103 at Lord's

Kent have won promotion to Division One after their rivals' late charge came to a shuddering halt at Lord's, where Middlesex — with a spring in their step and the One-Day Cup in their cabinet — dismissed Northamptonshire for just 103.

Late-season matches can assume an unusual shape, with tired pitches, tired players and events elsewhere driving the narrative as much as runs and wickets. Northamptonshire started their final match with a chance of promotion, albeit one dependent on events at Canterbury. By early on the first afternoon, that chance had all but evaporated.

Luke Procter's decision to bat at 10.30am in September at Lord's was, in the words of Sir Humphrey Appleby, brave — but the Northants captain wanted runs on the board. His players barely got bat on ball as a four-pronged attack of 30-something seamers plugged away on a line and length, extracting that half-bat's width of movement which has undone so many sides in St John's Wood.

Middlesex's reply wobbled when the board read 32 for four and the game was on again, but a few shots from Ben Geddes installed a little belief and the arrival at the crease of the reassuring figure of Ryan Higgins, who notched his second century in four days. To their credit, Northants fought back — Saif Zaib went down fighting with a characteristically pugnacious century — but by then the pitch was as dead as a Norwegian Blue, and Middlesex cruised over the line.

Cheers at Canterbury as the maths finally settles it

The fact that their rivals were not even going to get the four points they needed at the start of the round to draw level had been known by the Canterbury faithful for days, but there was still a cheer when promotion was secured.

Daniel Bell-Drummond had taken a different view from Procter at the toss, shunning the "runs on the board" cliché in favour of a "need to take 20 wickets" one. It was not going entirely to plan, but Matt Milnes and Khaled Ahmed extracted movement with the older ball and Gloucestershire's 124 for three became a disappointing 229 all out. Ben Compton's 126, compiled in just over six hours, held Kent's reply together, and a first-innings lead of 124 was always likely to be enough against a side with only the pride of finishing above Lancashire to play for — and that ain't much.

Warning signs for the top flight

Kent, though, look less well equipped than Durham for Division One. They will need more from Zak Crawley and Tawanda Muyeye with the bat, and stronger support for Milnes with the ball, if they are to survive in the top flight. But similar things were being said about Glamorgan this time last year — and they sit comfortably in mid-table.