Kent have returned to the top tier of the Specsavers County Championship by wrapping up an innings and 172-run win over Glamorgan with five sessions to spare in Canterbury.
Kent’s 10th win of the campaign – their first with maximum points – was Glamorgan’s 10th defeat and although Kent will have to wait on events at Hove in the game between Sussex and Warwickshire to know their promotion status, the reverse ensures that the Welsh county will collect this season’s wooden spoon.
Glamorgan lost their last six wickets inside 75 minutes of the third day as Darren Steven’s, so often their nemesis, took five for 24 to secure the 21st five-wicket return of his career.
Matt Henry, the undoubted signing of the season in Division 2, chipped in with another four and eight in the match as Kent banked 24 points to Glamorgan’s three.
Glamorgan suffered their first loss to the ninth ball of the morning and the third of the day from Kent’s ageless all-rounder Darren Stevens. A good length away-swinger that cut away further off the pitch, drew Jeremy Lawlor into an injudicious defensive push outside off stump that the right-hander feathered through to keeper Sam Billings.
Ten balls and six runs later, Chris Cooke departed in near identical fashion by meddling with a Stevens leg-cutter that brushed the outside edge to give Billings another catch.
Matt Henry then added to his tally as the championship’s leading wicket-taker with a full-length leg cutter that squared up the right-hander is defence to pluck out his off stump and make it 45 for seven.
Still within the opening hour, Ruaidhri Smith nudged outside off to be superbly caught by Billings, diving low to his right in front of first slip off Henry, who then took his 74th victim of a prolific summer by ripping out Timm van der Gugten’s off pole.
It was left to Stevens to polish the job off by 11.45am when last man Michael Hogan, the Glamorgan captain, sliced an attempted cover drive to be athletically caught at extra cover by Joe Denly, leaving the tenacious Jack Murphy unbeaten on 22.
Stevens finished with five and Henry four as Kent returned to the Championship top flight after eight seasons in Division 2.
Kent captain Sam Billings said before promotion was confirmed: “We’ve not quite clinched promotion mathematically, but I feel were close enough now after 10 wins. I’ve never played first division Championship cricket and it’s always been my ambition, so I’m tremendously proud that this team has taken Kent back to the level of English cricket that this great club feels it belongs.
“It’s been a monumental effort from everyone in the club, it’s not just been the 1st XI, it’s been a squad effort. The effect Paul Downton has had, as our director of cricket, has been immense behind the scenes, backing up a squad of guys playing for each other and moving in the same direction.
“The team camaraderie is like nothing I’ve experienced with Kent before so it’s a very special day and for me and fitting that one of our youngest players, Zak Crawley, was the stand out performer in this game. That shows how far we’ve come, that Zak can come in and play that well in a crunch game. He showed his class and then we had the old guard of Darren Stevens to polish it off, which sums up our season, it’s not just been one bloke, it’s been everyone chipping in to make this a fantastic squad effort.”
Glamorgan coach Robert Croft said: “It was a disappointing performance all-round. To leak four and over with the ball on that wicket wasn’t up to scratch and we were found wanting with the bat.
“It’s not about morale for me, I’m looking at how people are performing. I thought Jack Murphy was our stand out player in this match and played brilliantly. He’s got a real solid technique, has a good tempo with the way he plays and showed a lot of application and concentration. He played the ball respectfully.
“He was in there for the long haul, which you don’t see much these days. With modern cricketers you tend to see them block three r four balls they’re then looking to score, but Jack didn’t have that mindset.
“It’s a challenging time for everybody at Glamorgan cricket and there’s a lot of work still to do. There are young players here we are giving opportunities to and they’re fully aware they’ve got to meet us half way by giving us performances. We expect them to show signs of improvement.”