Kent are already starting to look like the team we all believed they could be this season with their first win at the weekend.

As Matthew Coles completed his six-wicket haul on Saturday morning, and Kent celebrated their crushing innings and 120 run victory over Northamptonshire, without wanting to tempt fate, there was a definite feeling in the air that this season could be one of growth and success for Jimmy Adams’ side.

The performances in the first two county games of the season have seemed such a long way away from the uninspiring displays last season, and disappointment and disillusionment felt by a good many Kent fans has turned into pride, hope and positivity around this new-look side.

Having taken 10 points from a draw in their opening game of the season away at Yorkshire, it would have come as a challenge to the players to see if they could maintain their high level of performance from that game going into their tie away at Northamptonshire.

It should be remembered, too, that exactly a year ago this week, Kent were on the receiving end of an innings defeat themselves in the corresponding feature last year. The turnaround this time was remarkable.

The victory was completed at Wantage Road before lunch on the third day, and, truth be told, the away side were in absolute control of the match from the first session to the last.

Matt Coles, fresh from hitting his maiden top-class century in the opening game at Yorkshire, took nine wickets in the match, including 6-51 in Northants second effort to complete the victory, while Michael Powell, summer signing from Glamorgan, hit a magnificent, match-winning 128 not out in just his second game for the county.

There were other notable performances throughout the team – Charlie Shreck and Darren Stevens also each picking up three wickets along with Coles in the home side’s first innings, Ben Harmison and Brendan Nash making decent scores again of 46 and 40 respectively after beginning brightly against Yorkshire, and Geraint Jones making a well-deserved and hard-fought half century, supporting Powell in a game-defining partnership on the second day.

As preparations continue before Kent’s first home game of the season, scheduled to begin on Thursday at Canterbury against Gloucestershire, the team can now look to build on their impressive performances so far this season. The visitors are coming into the game in third, one spot behind Kent in the early-season table, and are coming off a win in their last game away at The Rose Bowl against title favourites Hampshire.

Weather allowing, it should make for an exciting and interesting game between the two sides at The St Lawrence Ground starting Thursday.

Fingers crossed, Kent will come out on top.