Milnes takes five as Kent celebrate promotion with eight-wicket win

Kent marked their promotion to Division One of the County Championship with an eight-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Canterbury, completing the match on the third day. According to the ECB Reporters' Network report carried by BBC Sport, their place in the top flight was already secure before they began chasing a target of 118, after Northamptonshire lost to Middlesex at Lord's.

Watch the highlights:

Matt Milnes led Kent's bowling effort with 5-33 in Gloucestershire's second innings, adding to his first-innings figures of 4-55. The visitors were dismissed for 241 despite 66 from Kamran Dhariwal. Kent had established their advantage by scoring 353 in reply to Gloucestershire's opening total of 229, with Ben Compton making 126 and James Bracey contributing 86 for the visitors.

The morning initially offered Gloucestershire a reprieve when Tom Boorman was dropped in the first over, but Kent soon removed both overnight batters within seven deliveries. Miles Hammond edged Khaled Ahmed to Tawanda Muyeye for 42, and Milnes had Boorman caught behind. Dhariwal and Daaryoush Ahmed subsequently took Gloucestershire into the lead, before further wickets left them 150-6 at lunch.

Milnes completed his five-wicket haul when Sai Kishore was caught by Muyeye at first slip. Muyeye also held Che Simmons off Keith Dudgeon, taking his tally to 27 Championship catches for the season. With eight wickets down, news of Northamptonshire's defeat reached Canterbury. Dhariwal and Matt Taylor, who made 34, helped set Kent a target before Muyeye and Ekansh Singh claimed the final two wickets.

Zak Crawley began the chase with a boundary off JT Langridge and survived a dropped catch two balls later. Langridge then dismissed Compton lbw for four, while Crawley went on to score 44. His innings ended against Kishore when, after reverse-sweeping a boundary, he attempted a slog-sweep and was caught by Hammond. Sam Northeast remained unbeaten on 49 as Kent reached 120-2.

Northeast supplied the finish with 12 still needed, striking Ollie Price for six and then hitting successive fours to complete Kent's eighth Championship win of the season. Kent collected 22 points from the match, while Gloucestershire took three. The result rounded off a promotion secured alongside Division Two champions Durham, with Northamptonshire's earlier defeat having settled the race for second place.