Sam Northeast hopes Kent’s stars have timed their title run to perfection as they seek to write their names into county folklore.

Northeast’s side have hauled themselves into the Specsavers County Championship, Division 2 title race – and for that single promotion place – with thumping back-to-back wins in recent weeks.

Victory at Gloucestershire by an innings and 69 runs last Friday followed a 10-wicket mauling of Worcestershire and represented their best red-ball run since July 2014 when they won three straight games in the Championship.

Kent began their game at Sussex on Wednesday, while Essex hosted Worcestershire seeking to maintain a 24-point advantage, with the intriguing prospect of the sides meeting at Canterbury on September 20 in the final game of the season.

Northeast admitted: “We have won back-to-back games and want to keep that momentum going.

“The last two games have been the blueprint. We’ve batted big and the bowlers have done well on pitches which have not offered them a lot.

“Of course, if you offered it, we’d take having to win our last game against them to go up but there is no point looking too far ahead.”

He added: “There is a good vibe around the place, confidence is high, everyone is in good shape, including the twos. We have hit our straps at the right time.

“Essex have the points on the board but we have three games to play and still have to play them. There is a lot of cricket still to come this season. We genuinely feel like we can beat anyone.

“After the quarter-final loss in the One-Day Cup too, the guys don’t want nothing to show for the season.”