Kent one win from promotion a year after finishing bottom

Kent are one match away from going straight back up. A year after finishing bottom, they go into the final round of County Championship fixtures holding the second promotion place.

The second tier of England's four-day county competition sends its top two up to Division One. Kent sit in that second spot, four points clear of third-placed Northamptonshire, according to BBC Sport.

The run-in favours Kent on paper. They host bottom side Gloucestershire at Canterbury. Northamptonshire travel to Middlesex.

The turnaround is stark. Kent won two of 14 Championship matches in 2025 and finished last in Division Two. This season they have already won seven of 13 and collected 78 more points.

Form has held when it mattered. After a defeat at Derbyshire, Kent responded with a seven-wicket win over Lancashire. That is a comfortable chase completed with seven batters still unused.

It is a sharp contrast to the past two seasons. Kent were relegated in 2024 under Matthew Walker. Walker left, and Adam Hollioake took over as head coach in 2025.

Hollioake, the former Surrey captain, was appointed in December 2024. He told BBC Radio Kent that at the beginning of the year he questioned whether coaching was the right thing for him.

That doubt has given way to a settled set-up. Hollioake is contracted until at least the end of the 2027 season, according to Kent Cricket, and leads a 2026 men's staff of two assistant coaches and a bowling consultant.

For supporters, this means a simple final week. Win against Gloucestershire, and Northamptonshire cannot catch them. Anything less leaves the door open.

Canterbury will decide it. From bottom to promotion in twelve months. That is the prize on the table.