Warwickshire are champions! Innings win over Kent secures the title

Kent will still join the Bears in the top tier next season but had to settle for runners-up spot after failing to deliver the fightback required after they were outclassed on the opening two days

Edgbaston (third day of four): Kent 167 & 179, Warwickshire 380 - Warwickshire won by an innings & 34 runs

Scorecard

Warwickshire secured the Specsavers County Championship Division Two title by beating Kent by an innings and 34 runs inside three days at Edgbaston.

Kent will still join the Bears in the top tier next season but had to settle for runners-up spot after failing to deliver the fightback required after they were outclassed on the opening two days.

Day three followed a similar pattern as Kent, trailing by 213 on first innings, resumed on 38 for one in the second and were bowled out for 179.

It was powerhouse performance by the home side but Kent's implosion for 167 and 179 in the match did nothing to assuage their supporters' concerns about their batting line-up's ability to handle life in Division One next year.

The only regret for the jubilant Warwickshire fans was that the innings win denied Jonathan Trott one more visit to the crease before retirement. Instead, Trott received a huge ovation at the end - as one of three players who ended their Warwickshire careers today with Chris Wright and Keith Barker leaving to join Leicestershire and Hampshire respectively.

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Kent began the third day in need of a massive rearguard action but were hit by a spectacular mid-morning burst of four wickets for 34 runs in 61 balls.

Nightwatchman Adam Riley fell to a brilliant, one-handed catch at second slip by Dom Sibley off Barker who then knocked out two of Joe Denly's stumps to close the new England call-up's season with a second-ball duck.

Olly Stone, who will be alongside Denly in the England party heading for Sri Lanka at the weekend, then found his rhythm from the Pavilion End, first inducing a nick from Heino Kuhn before leaving Ollie Robinson with just one vertical stump.

Opener Zak Crawley resisted hard for 73 (152 balls, 10 fours) but was uprooted in the last over before lunch when he fell lbw to Ryan Sidebottom.

Two wickets in the first full over after lunch accelerated the collapse as Chris Wright pinned Darren Stevens lbw and had Grant Stewart caught at third slip. Sam Billings defied for 46 (75 balls, six fours) but when he fell lbw to Jeetan Patel, Warwickshire were one wicket from glory. That wicket fell immediately when Matt Henry played his first ball to mid off and Harry Podmore was run out by Stone's throw. 

🏆🥇 The 🍾 moment! What a season!!

🐻#YouBears pic.twitter.com/m5gfHYXYH9

— Warwickshire CCC 🏏 (@WarwickshireCCC) September 26, 2018

Report courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network