A MAD 44-minute period cost Yorkshire the title.

This was the view of Martyn Moxon, after the Tykes fell agonisingly short of their first silverware since 2001.

When he made the remark, after Yorkshire had been beaten by four wickets by Kent following a spectacular batting collapse, the significance of the defeat was not yet known.

After Nottinghamshire, who picked up the crown, and Somerset then drew, the realisation that a win over the visitors would have secured the title makes defeat even harder.

Few can argue with Moxon’s opinion, after a series of poor shots led to nine wickets falling for only 37 runs during the morning session.

It helped Kent set themselves a victory target of only 90, with the fact they lost six wickets in getting there making the defeat and subsequent loss of the coveted crown even more frustrating.

“We threw away this match, no doubt about it,”

said captain Andrew Gale, who slumped to the floor as James Tredwell secured Kent’s victory at 1.54pm.

“For three quarters of an hour we were dreadful really and showed signs of the old Yorkshire. That is not the way we have played this season so I am disappointed. On reflection it has been a good year, but this will take a week or two to get over.”

Gale will feel it badly, after captaining his side so admirably this season, and his tactics were clear early on, as Adam Lyth and Anthony Mc- Grath added 30 runs to the overnight total of 51 for one in the first four overs.

Then, when McGrath was ousted by Dewald Nel, the collapse started.

Ashes hopeful James Tredwell did the damage, with final figures of 7-22 including a hat-trick, as the Tykes remaining eight wickets went down for 35 runs.

That left Kent their tiny victory target, before a spirited bowling display raised hopes of a remarkable win.

Moin Ashraf and Ajmal Shahzad took the wickets of openers Joe Denly and Sam Northeast, to leave the visitors on 6-2, before captain Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld steadied the ship to add 62 for the third wicket.

That appeared to end the game, and Yorkshire’s title chances once and for all, before four wickets for 14 runs reignited hopes.

Unfortunately it was not to be, leaving Gale deflated.

“The crowd have seen how much effort we have put in this year,” added the Yorkshire captain. “It feels as if we have been reborn as a county. To get an ovation like that after we had lost the game in the fashion we did was quite emotional.”

Scoreboard

Yorkshire v Kent At Headingley Carnegie

Overnight: Kent 302 (A J Blake 105 no, M van Jaarsveld 89; Moin Ashraf5-32). Yorkshire 261 (J M Bairstow 64; J D Nel 6-62) and 51-1.

Yorkshire Second Innings

A Lyth b Tredwell ............................46

A McGrath c G O Jones b Nel ...............30

A W Gale b Nel ............................ 2

J M Bairstow c Nel b Tredwell ............... 9

G L Brophy st G O Jones b Tredwell ..... 0

A U Rashid c van Jaarsveld b Nel ......... 4

A Shahzad st G O Jones b Tredwell ......16

S A Patterson c Northeast b Tredwell .... 2

O J Hannon-Dalby not out .................... 0

Ashraf c van Jaarsveld b Tredwell ........ 0

Extras (b4 lb4 pens 0) ................. 8

Total (29.5 overs) ...................130

Fall: 1-40 2-93 3-95 4-99 5-99 6-108 7-118 8-123 9-130

Bowling: Nel 11-1-57-3. Stevens 8-1-28-0.

Cook 3-0-15-0. Tredwell 6.5-1-22-7. Coles 1- 1-0-0.

Kent Second Innings

S A Northeast lbw b Shahzad ............... 5

J L Denly lbw b Ashraf ......................... 1

R W Key c McGrath b Patterson ............27

M van Jaarsveld c Rudolph b ARashid .44

G O Jones c Ashraf b Patterson ............ 0

D I Stevens not out ........................... 4 A J Blake b A U Rashid ..................... 0

J C Tredwell not out ....................... 4

Extras (lb5 pens 0)....................... 5

Total 6 wkts (24.5 overs)..............90

Fall: 1-6 2-6 3-68 4-70 5-82 6-82

Bowling: Shahzad 6-2-17-1. Ashraf 4-0-13- 1. A U Rashid 7.5-1-41-2. McGrath 1-0-4-0.

Patterson 6-1-10-2.