Perfect timing

THUMPING WINS PUT KENT IN THE TITLE RACE

Sam Northeast hopes Kent’s stars have timed their title run to perfection as they seek to write their names into county folklore. Northeast’s side have hauled themselves into the Specsavers County Championship Division 2 title race – and for that single promotion place – with thumping backto-back wins in recent weeks. Victory at Gloucestershire by an innings and 69 runs last Friday followed a 10-wicket mauling of Worcestershire and represented their best red-ball run since July 2014 when they won three straight games in the Championship.

Kent began their game at Sussex yesterday (Wednesday) while Essex hosted Worcestershire seeking to maintain a 24-point advantage, with the intriguing prospect of the sides facing-off at Canterbury on September 20 in the final game of the season.

Northeast admitted: “We have won back-to-back games and want to keep that momentum going.

“The last two games have been the blueprint. We’ve batted big and the bowlers have done well on pitches which have not offered them a lot.

“Of course if you offered it we’d take having to win our last game against them to go up but there is no point looking too far ahead. We can only afford to focus on Sussex this week.”

He added: “There is a good vibe around the place, confidence is high, everyone is in good shape, including the twos. We are playing good cricket and have hit our straps at the right time.

“Essex have the points on the board but we have three games to play and we still have to play them.

“There is a hell of a lot of cricket still to come this season. We genuinely feel like we can beat anyone.

“After the quarter-final loss in the One-Day Cup too, the guys don’t want nothing to show for the season.”

While Kent thrashed Worcestershire last month, Northeast is hopeful his side can benefit from a favour from the club against whom their opening match of the season was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

He said: “One of the good things is that there is still something on the game for Worcester – they are not out of it (39 points behind Essex).

“You’d like to think teams have something to play for and will be playing strong teams at this stage of the season.”

Depending on this week’s results, Kent could claim top spot when they host Northamptonshire at Beckenham in their penultimate match from Tuesday ( September 6, 11am) as Essex do not return to action until the following week at home to Glamorgan.

Meanwhile, Kent have extended Will Gidman’s loan from Notts until the end of the season.

‘There is a hell of a lot of cricket still to come this season. We feel like we can beat anyone’

Kent captain Sam Northeast