Kent promoted after rivals draw

Kent have been promoted back to Division One of the County Championship after Essex and Glamorgan drew their match at Cardiff. It means Kent can't be knocked off one of the two promotion slots and they bounce back the season after being relegated.

They beat Middlesex by 10 wickets in another commanding display - their eighth win in 14 matches this season - after they racked up their second highest team total of 652 for 7 with a double century from Darren Stevens and an unbeaten hundred by Justin Kemp.

"We've shown that we are the best side in the competition by quite a distance," Kemp told the club website. "We only need a few points to win the league title but we aren't thinking like that. We just want to round off the season in style now. If we win our remaining two matches then we will go up with a big points total.

"We have batted well this season and put in our big performances when needed. It's been a good season and we are all delighted to have gone straight back up."

Kent will secure the Division Two title if they beat Leicestershire, at Canterbury, this week. It has been a solid season for the club, who made the semi-finals of the Twenty20 Cup and are still in with a chance of claiming the Division Two Pro40 title.