As Kent step up their bid to win some silverware this season, director of cricket Graham Ford says the experiences of 2008 should stand them in good stead.

Lying second in the LV County Championship Division 2 and in the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup, Kent are building the right sort of momentum as they head into their championship game with Surrey at The Brit Oval on Friday.

But things looked equally rosy for the Spitfires last summer before it all went wrong with two cup final defeats followed by relegation.

Ford, pictured, believes that those memories will help concentrate his players’ minds for the challenges that lie ahead in the second half of the season.

He said: "Losing in two finals and getting relegated was a bitter pill to swallow. It should help to keep the players’ minds focused for the huge matches that lie in store for us."