Kent are on the verge of clinching the LV County Championship Division 2 title.

Having lost their first day of their match against Leicestershire at St Lawrence to the weather, Simon Cook (5-44) and Amjad Khan (4-46) helped bowl Leicestershire out for 148 on Wednesday.

Northants dropped three points against Essex meaning Kent, who closed on 205-4, only need 45 more runs on Thursday to win the title.

Kent had already secured promotion after Essex drew with Glamorgan on Sunday and coach Graham Ford described going up as a fantastic achievement.

Ford, who steps down at the end of the month, said: “I’m pleased the players have got decent reward for some serious hard work and a major effort this season.

“We have operated with a small squad because of injuries and only had an overseas player for a very limited time, so it was a fantastic achievement.

“I’m delighted for them because they are a great group of proud cricketers who have gone out determined to put on a really good performance every time they stepped over the rope.

“We’ve had the odd hiccup but have done well in all forms of the game.”

Chairman George Kennedy said promotion back to Division 1 was always their priority and now they want to go up as champions.

He said: “We’ve given a lot of youngsters the opportunity this season and I think it proves our academy set-up is one of the best in the country.”

Mr Kennedy also confirmed the county have shelved plans to bring in another overseas player this season, following delays in obtaining a visa.