Relegated Kent’s County Championship Division 1 stay is officially over after they shook hands with hosts Durham for a rain-affected draw on Sunday.
Excellent knocks from Jack Leaning, Joe Denly and Joey Evison secured the draw as the captains shook hands at 4.20pm.
Kent resumed 96-3 after an eventful third day at Chester-le-Street, with stand-in skipper Leaning and nightwatchman Jas Singh at the crease.
Singh did his job and didn’t last long, feathering a Bas de Leede (3-64) ball down the leg-side to former Kent wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Robinson in the second over of the day.
Leaning played a lovely straight drive off de Leede to get himself going.
Denly looked in good touch and played a lovely cut shot on the offside for four as he halted the hosts’ push for wickets, along with his captain.
Leaning then reached his 50 from 108 balls.
Denly continued to find the boundary at the other end, with the experienced right-hander whipping a Chemar Holder (1-51) delivery through mid-wicket for four.
Durham had a chance to get Denly out as he played an aerial shot off the bowling of Minto (0-47) – but Callum Parkinson dropped it at fine leg. It was a drop the hosts would later regret as Denly reached his half-century, which came from 82 balls and included five fours.
The visitors reached lunch without further loss and Leaning hit the first ball after the break through mid-wicket for four.
Parkinson (1-86) then dropped Denly again after he failed to take a hard return catch off his own bowling. However, it was third time lucky for the left-arm spinner as he got Denly caught and bowled for 63.
Leaning quickly followed him into the pavilion for an excellent 84 after he pulled a de Leede delivery straight to Minto on the leg-side boundary.
Evison came to the crease and swung some momentum back to the visitors, with the all-rounder carving a Hogg (2-63) delivery to the offside boundary and he then pummelled a Parkinson ball down the ground for six.
Marcus O’Riordan departed after he edged a Hogg delivery to Colin Ackermann at slip for three.
Evison continued to motor alongside Grant Stewart as they took Kent past the follow-on target but Stewart departed for 40 just after tea, handing Holder his first wicket of the match.
But Evison reached his 50 from 67 balls and saw out the draw for the visitors alongside Matt Parkinson (7 not out) at the end of head coach Matt Walker’s tenure.
Leaning said: “Naturally, from both sides, there’s not a great deal to be gained – other than professional pride and finishing on a high with a result or a performance. I thought both teams played pretty well.
“It was a pretty flat, placid wicket. We hoped that we’d get the most out of it on the first day as it was used for the international game but when it’s sat under covers for two days, it didn’t do a great deal, apart from spin a bit later on.
“It’s nice to get a few runs but I thought it should have been a 100, personally.
“It is a frustrating way to end the season as a club. We’ve all got to look at ourselves and be better – batters and bowlers.
“I think, as long as we take that mindset into the winter and into next season, we’ll have a better chance of hitting the ground running.
“This season has hurt, definitely, it’s tough losing most weeks, nobody wants that because you then (you) go home and get frustrated with it. Unfortunately, that’s been where we’ve been as a team this year.
“You can’t hide behind it as, over the course of the league season, the table never lies.”
Kent will hold their end-of-season dinner at The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury, on Wednesday.
