Kent kept their promotion chances alive with a 222 run victory over Derbyshire at Canterbury on Friday afternoon.

Needing nine wickets on the final day, you could feel the tension around the St Lawrence Ground from early on, with play starting in the blistering sunshine on time at 10:30.

It was evident from the word go that Derbyshire were only ever going to play it one way and that was to play for the draw, but in the end that wasn’t going to be enough against a Kent attack that was intent on taking wickets.

Paul Borrington, batting with a broken nose and Australian Usman Khawaja started well enough as they looked to leave the ball alone as much as possible with Kent captain Rob Key putting as many men around the bat as he could.

The opening pair of Charlie Shreck and Mark Davies kept things tight, with the former bowling some quite hostile deliveries, but they failed to find the breakthrough.

It took the introduction of Matt Coles to bring the game to life as he trapped Borrington lbw for just 17 off a staggering 111 balls.

Wes Durston was to fall the same way as Coles got one to nip back leaving the Derbyshire no other option than to walk back to thedressing room shaking his hand.

Both Khawaja and Dan Redfern saw Derbyshire through to lunch with just those two wickets having fallen, but a great spell for Kent straight after the interval saw three quick wickets fall in succession.

Khawaja was the first to go as he was caught on the crease by a delivery from Stevens that kept low, giving umpire Neil Mallender no choice than to give the Australian out for 53.

The very next over and Derbyshire were five down when Redfern and Ross Whiteley were involved in a terrible mix up that saw the latter called through for a single that wasn’t there and he was run out superbly by Brendan Nash for nought.

Things got even worse for the visiting side six overs later when Redfern fell for 21 as he fended at a sharp rising ball from Stevens and Geraint Jones took a superb one handed catch low to his left to claim the sixth wicket.

It was then down to David Wainwright and Tom Poynton to steady the ship as the pair put on 36 for the 7th wicket and they looked to have frustrated Kent before the tea interval, however, with a new ball in his hand and having run back to his mark to see if he could get an extra over in, Mark Davies found the top of the stumps, removing the bails and Derbyshire went in for a cuppa at 145 for 7.

Some stiff resistance from Tom Poynton and Tony Palladino was ended with the score on 158 when Darren Stevens found the edge of the latter’s bat, nicking off to Tredwell at second slip who took the ball with ease.

It was Stevens once again that calmed the nerves of the St Lawence faithful when he got one to beat the bat of Tim Groenewald, clipping the bails to the delight of the cordon of slips behind the Derbyshire man.

At 4:50pm and with just forty minutes left in the game, Matt Coles got the all important wicket as he found the edge of Mark Turner’s bat for five with Jones taking another superb tumbling catch to send Derbyshire to a 222 run defeat.

The win keeps Kent deep in contention for promotion in the Second Division of the County Championship with one game to go and they finish their season at Cardiff next week as they play Glamorgan.

It will be a nerve tangling affair with Derbyshire leaders of the Division still by one point over Yorkshire, who are just five points ahead of Kent.

Kent won the toss and elected to bat.

Kent side: Key, Northeast, Blake, Nash, Powell, Stevens, Jones, Coles, Davies, Riley, Shreck.

Derbyshire side: Madsen, Borrington, Khawaja, Durston, Redfern, Whiteley, Wainwright, Poynton, Palladino, Groenewald, Turner.

Umpires: N Cook & N Mallender

Result: Kent 261 all out & 342 for 8dec, Derbyshire 200 all out & 181 all out. Kent won by 222 runs.