Matt Walker said Kent’s win over Leicestershire in the Specsavers County Championship, Division 2 is one that will stand out in the memory at the end of the season.

His side beat Leicestershire by eight wickets at Grace Road after losing the reverse fixture last month inside two days.

That win puts Kent to within 15 points of top-of-the-table Warwickshire.

Head coach Walker said: “We didn’t play well in that game at home. Everyone knew that and it maybe caught us on the hop a bit in the middle of the T20s.

“It was so much better this time around. It was a challenging game because the wicket was not easy.

“It felt like it was going to be a low scoring game.

“It will be one of those games that will stick out in the memory this season as it was a real scrap at times.

“To keep the run chase down to around 250 was good and we got the best of the wicket after that.”

Catch up with the latest episode of the Kent Cricket Podcast below:

Ivan Thomas took a career-best of 4-35 as Leicestershire were all out for 220 batting first after Kent used the uncontested toss to bowl first.

Joe Denly top scored in Kent’s reply with 62 as they were all out for 195 to give the home side a first innings lead of 25.

Pakistan seamer Mohammed Abbas did the damage with the ball taking 6-48 while Ben Raine claimed 4-62.

Thomas then claimed another career-best in the second innings, taking 5-91 as Leicestershire were all out for 227 to set a target of 252 for Kent.

Walker said: “Ivan was absolutely thrilled. His story is an interesting one as he has gone through it a bit over the last couple of seasons.

“He’s had heart surgery and then problems with his back. He’s worked very hard on his bowling and went out to South Africa to work with Allan Donald over the winter. Ivan’s not looked back from there.

“In the early part of the season he maybe didn’t get the opportunity to bowl as much as he would like because of what Matt Henry was doing. He was bowling well and is becoming a real threat.”

An unbeaten third wicket partnership of 214 between Sean Dickson (134 not out) and Heino Kuhn (96 not out) saw Kent home with wickets and a day to spare.

It also gives Kent another an extra day to prepare for their Vitality Blast quarter-final with Lancashire on Thursday.

Walker said: “The run chase was still hard work. It looked like an easy win but that first hour of the partnership between Sean Dickson and Heino Kuhn was incredible.

“Abbas and Raine were bowling well and the pair batted very well together.

“We were planning not to have an extra day. The fact we got back to our own beds and day back in Canterbury is useful.

“It gives us a good opportunity to get the boys in and give them whatever they need to be ready for the quarter-final.”