Durham delighted with county triumph

Harmison took the last two wickets with successive deliveries - after Callum Thorp had bagged the first seven - to bowl out Kent, who were relegated following the result, for 204 and complete victory by an innings and 71 runs at Canterbury.

"It is an unbelievable achievement," said Harmison. "It is only 16 years as a first-class county...wow. There are some young lads up there who don't realise what sort of achievement they've just had."

Ashington-born Harmison is one of a clutch of homegrown stars in former South Africa one-day international Dale Benkenstein's team, but acknowledged he has not always reached his potential for his native county.

"I've probably been through more bad times than good times," he admitted, after taking 60 wickets in Division One this summer.

"This is my 12th season and I've probably had more bad years than good years, but this is just a great feeling."

While Durham had so much to celebrate on their coach trip north, Kent stayed put to mull over the final frustration of a cruel season.

Captain Rob Key was perhaps suffering most of all, having made a second-innings golden duck and learned he must pay an England and Wales Cricket Board fine of £1,250 for a breach of the disciplinary code over his comments after Kent's narrow defeat at Durham last month.

But after Kent had added an unexpected first relegation to near misses in three other competitions this season, it was left to coach Graham Ford to reflect on where it all went wrong.

"There's no question that we ran out of gas," he said. "The disappointments of not quite getting across the line to win the three one-day competitions took its toll too because winning trophies can be quite energising."