Milnes' career-best 6-12 guides Kent to 225-run County Championship win in 2026

Matt Milnes' stunning 6-12 bowling performance led Kent to their first County Championship victory in over a year, defeating Derbyshire by 225 runs.

Match overview at Canterbury Kent secured their first County Championship win in more than twelve months after dismissing Derbyshire for a paltry 158 in their second innings, winning by a margin of 225 runs. The victory came at St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury, where 600 spectators enjoyed free entry on the final day. Derbyshire had begun their second innings at 19-1 but collapsed rapidly, with play concluding by 2:44pm when Luis Reece was caught by Chris Benjamin off Ekansh Singh. ## Milnes shatters previous bowling record Matt Milnes delivered career-best figures of 6-12, surpassing his prior first-class best of 6-53 set against Leicestershire at the same venue in 2021. His spell decimated Derbyshire's lineup, triggering a dramatic collapse from 19-1 to 158 all out. The paceman claimed crucial wickets in clusters, including two ducks and multiple top-order dismissals, capping off a dominant bowling display. ## Derbyshire's top-order struggles Derbyshire's innings crumbled under relentless pressure, with Milnes spearheading the attack. Harry Came fell for 18 in the fifth ball of the day, edging Keith Dudgeon to Ben Dawkins at gully. Matthew Montgomery was next, caught behind by Tawanda Muyeye off Milnes in the following over, followed by Wayne Madsen for four. Captain Daniel Bell-Drummond then introduced Joey Evison early, who trapped Martin Andersson lbw for 15 on his sixth delivery. ## Middle-order resistance fades quickly Brooke Guest was dismissed for a duck by Milnes, trapped leg-before after clipping the ball onto the stumps. Zak Chappell managed 20 runs before Jas Singh trapped him lbw with a sharply turning delivery that kept low. By lunch, Derbyshire had slumped to 103-7, and their resistance evaporated entirely after the interval when Ben Aitchison was caught behind off Milnes in the second over. ## Reece's lone stand and dramatic end Luis Reece offered the only resistance with a half-century, reaching 67 runs despite a lack of support from teammates. His innings included a 53-run stand with Reece, who survived a close call when a skyed shot narrowly missed Ekansh Singh before landing safely via a misfield by Northeast. Reece then launched a massive six over square leg off Jas Singh, but his aggression proved costly when he skyed another ball, which Benjamin caught cleanly. ## Kent's batting highlights Kent's total of 352 in the first innings was anchored by Benjamin's 123 runs, while Haydon contributed 5-81 with the ball. In their second innings, they amassed 335 runs to set a target of 365 for Derbyshire to chase. The win marked Kent's first Championship victory since defeating Middlesex in April 2025, ending a 13-month drought. ## Historical context and attendance The match concluded with Derbyshire requiring 365 additional runs to claim victory, a target they never came close to achieving. A crowd exceeding 600 attended on the final day, taking advantage of complimentary entry, though late arrivals missed the rapid early wickets taken by Derbyshire on day three and day four mornings.