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Kent beat Middlesex by two wickets to win County Championship Division 3 title

Kent held their nerve on the final morning of their County Championship clash with Middlesex to win the Division 3 title.

In a winner-takes-all shoot-out, Kent resumed day four on 275-5 - still needing another 98 runs to win and with all results possible.

Grant Stewart - finished 37 not out from 33 balls to guide Kent to victory. Picture: Ady Kerry
Grant Stewart - finished 37 not out from 33 balls to guide Kent to victory. Picture: Ady Kerry

Middlesex gave themselves hope off the final ball on day three when skipper Tim Murtagh had dismissed centurion Ollie Robinson.

Kent made steady progress and added 20 runs before Tawanda Muyeye chased a single and was halfway down the wicket. He was sent back by Darren Stevens and run out by a direct hit from Toby Roland-Jones, who had barely a stump to aim at.

A visibly distraught Muyeye trudged back to the pavilion with 89 to his name and Stevens (14) was then caught by a diving Sam Robson at second slip, after edging Roland-Jones.

At that point Kent were 310-7, but Marcus O’Riordan and Grant Stewart took them to within 16 of victory when the former edged Martin Andersson for 26 and was caught at second slip by Robson.

As the tension mounted Kent scrambled a single and a shy at the stumps went for four overthrows. Stewart survived a loud appeal for caught behind off Andersson and hit the next ball for four to reduce the target to two.

Kent secured the title when Matt Milnes steered Roland-Jones to third man, giving them 19 points and Middlesex three, leaving the visitors as runners-up.

Muyeye said: “We came back from Birmingham with everyone a bit slumped and tired from the celebrations so we had to muster up the energy to come out here and win.

"Younger guys like me and Ollie Robinson had to step up and show what we could do.

“I was pretty happy because I haven’t batted for long enough this season and I’ve thrown my wicket away at times, but Ollie and I open the batting in the 50-over stuff and we tried to do better here.

"Yesterday we managed to do what we wanted to do and just break it down into small patches. We can all bat deep, there was no doubt in my mind we were going to win this game.”

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent

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