COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Canterbury:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Leicestershire 148 & 97-0, Kent 453 (Kent 8pts, Leics 3pts)
15-18 September 2009

Martin van Jaarsveld compiled his seventh century of the season

Kent sealed the County Championship Division Two title after picking up the fifth bonus point they needed against Leicestershire at Canterbury.

Martin van Jaarsveld, who went on to hit 146, ran the single that took them to 250 and a second batting point.

The home side were all out for 453, aided by 43 from Ryan McLaren. AJ Harris took 4-84 and Wayne White 3-91.

Leicestershire then closed the day 208 runs behind on 97-0, with Matthew Boyce unbeaten on 53.

Kent had already won promotion after Essex and Glamorgan drew last week.

Rob Key's side began the game requiring eight points to be sure of winning the title.

But second-placed Northants dropped three batting points on the first day against Essex, meaning that Kent only needed five.

And a flicked single off the pads by van Jaarsveld, the division's leading run-scorer, ensured that Northants could no longer catch the long-time leaders.

There was a prolonged ripple of applause from a 1,000-strong crowd while van Jaarsveld touched gloves with his fellow South African Justin Kemp to mark the moment.

Kent's director of cricket Graham Ford, who stands down at the end of the month, is proud of the achievement following relegation from the top flight a year ago. But he is also relieved now that the long battle is finally won.

"Fortunately we have a group of guys here who are prepared to look in the mirror and do a lot of self assessment," said Ford. "And they've put a lot of things right.

"But it's been a massively long haul and everyone's delighted that promotion and the title have been achieved.

"It's something you become more and more desperate to achieve.

"You see yourself in the race, feel it can be done, that you're almost there.

"But no matter how strong you're feeling, you then have one of those little nightmares about how things might possibly go wrong.

"Now there is a sense of relief, but also a real feeling of satisfaction at having done a job pretty well."

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