Kent (494 all out) survive in County Championship Division 1 as they draw with Lancashire (327 all out & 390-8 declared) in Canterbury while Nottinghamshire edge past Middlesex

A dramatic final day of the LV= Insurance County Championship summer saw Kent secure Division 1 survival on Friday - thanks to a helping hand from Nottinghamshire.

While Kent were unable to force a win as they drew with Lancashire, they were left requiring Nottinghamshire needing to avoid defeat against fellow strugglers Middlesex - and the hosts inched to a narrow victory at Trent Bridge to relegate Middlesex.

Any hopes Kent had of forcing a win at Canterbury initially looked pretty remote as away openers Keaton Jennings and Luke Wells continued to stick around.

A boundary from Wells brought the scores level and, in the next over, another Wells four off Kent captain Jack Leaning (3-64) brought up his century in 176 balls.

With Middlesex aiming to force a result against Nottinghamshire which potentially would consign Kent to relegation, Leaning finally got the sorely-needed breakthrough.

He had Wells caught by Daniel Bell-Drummond - included in the PCA men’s team-of-the-year - for a fine 117 as Middlesex also lost their fourth wicket at virtually the exact same time.

The same Kent combination dismissed Jennings for 74 to leave Lancashire 197-2 - 30 runs ahead. All of a sudden, the atmosphere changed, Steven Croft dropped by Tawanda Muyeye off Leaning from his first ball.

But George Bell was caught behind for one from Aron Nijjar’s bowling (3-97), the third wicket in 14 balls.

Leaning claimed his third and Kent’s fourth wicket when George Balderson was caught for one by a diving Ben Compton.

The dismissal of 38-year-old Croft for 15, Bell-Drummond taking another catch off Nijjar, brought an early lunch with Lancashire 226-5 - still only 59 runs ahead.

Matty Hurst was the next to go for a nine-ball duck in the early stages