Kent collected the silverware for winning LV County Championship Division Two, despite Paul Nixon's best efforts to be the last day party pooper at St Lawrence.

The celebrations finally started for Rob Key's runaway leaders at 4.20pm when the sides shook hands on a draw, with Nixon still at the crease having batted just over seven hours for 173 to see his side into a slender 45-run lead.

Key collected the trophy and a cheque for £115,000 from the ECB's managing director of England cricket, Hugh Morris, but the home skipper was far from euphoric afterwards.

He said: "I'm muted in my celebration because I look at that banner and see Division Two winners.

"I'm not taking away anything from the achievement because it's not been easy this year - but it won't go down in my career as one of the great moments.

"It's just part of the way forward, something we had to do to get back in the top flight.

"I still want to win the championship outright here - and winning the championship means the First Division, so the hard work starts now.

"There is a difference in the standard and I'm pleased we're going back to pitting ourselves against the best players in the county.

"It would be a big regret at the end of my career if we didn't win the championship."

Key also paid tribute to Kent's director of cricket Graham Ford, who stands down from his post at the end of the month to be replaced by Paul Farbrace.

Key added: "Graham has been fantastic. You never hear 'Fordie' giving himself any credit so it's best that it comes from me.

"His record speaks for itself. When he arrived we were one of the worst Twenty20 sides in the country, we're now one of the best in one-day cricket in general.

"It was a real shame we got relegated in the championship last year because things could have been so different - but we've come straight back up and much credit goes to 'Fordie' and Simon Willis.

"I will miss 'Fordie'. Sometimes you're happy to see coaches go, but with 'Fordie' I'll be absolutely gutted.

"I'm sure Paul Farbrace will do a fantastic job for us, but he has a tough role to fill."

Dislodging Nixon had also been a tough job for Key and his weary attack on this last day of the game and the former Kent left-hander, who played for the club for three years from 2000, took full toll.

Nixon featured in an opening stand of 204 with Matt Boyce (98) - Leicestershire's best of the summer and best ever against Kent, beating the previous record held by Maurice Hallam and Gerry Lester scored in Leicester in 1956.

Boyce went six balls after lunch when he edged a Martin van Jaarsveld arm-ball to slip, then Josh Cobb (28) went soon after when chipping back a return catch to Kent's leading wicket-taker James Tredwell.

But Nixon churned on past his previous career-best of 144 and was still there with Boeta Dippenaar, the man who replaced him as Foxes' skipper last month, when the game ended in handshakes all round.