Middlesex lose thriller to hand Kent the title

KENT claimed the County Championship Division Three title after a Friday morning of high drama at Canterbury, where they beat Middlesex by two wickets.

Kent finished on 375-8, but they were in trouble early on after Toby Roland-Jones brilliantly ran out

Tawanda Muyeye for 89.

They also lost Darren Stevens for 14, before Marcus O’Riordan and

Grant Stewart revived them with a stand of 48 and Matt Milnes hit the winning runs.

Kent began day four on 275-5, needing another 98 to win.

Middlesex had dragged themselves back into a game that had been drifting away from them when Murtagh had dismissed centurion Ollie Robinson with the final ball on day three, but Kent made steady progress at the start and

added 20 runs before Muyeye chased a single and was halfway down the wicket.

He was sent back by Stevens and run out by a direct hit from RolandJones, who had barely a stump to aim at.

A visibly distraught Muyeye trudged back to the pavilion and Stevens was then caught by a diving Sam Robson at second slip, after edging Roland-Jones.

At that point Kent were 310 for seven, but O’Riordan and Stewart took them to within 16 of victory when the former edged Martin Andersson for 26 and was caught at second slip by Robson.

As the tension mounted Kent scrambled a single and a shy at the stumps went for four overthrows. Stewart survived a loud appeal for caught behind off Andersson and hit the next ball for four to reduce the target to two.

Kent secured the title when Milnes steered Roland-Jones to third man, giving them 19 points and Middlesex three, leaving the visitors as runners-up.