MOOD in the Kent camp is sky high ahead of today's County Championship game with Northamptonshire.

Kent are perennial slow starters to the season but the March trip to Dubai looks to have paid dividends as they got their season off to a flying start.

After a topsy-turvy first day where 16 wickets fell, Kent eventually wrapped up a 57-run win over Essex on Monday.

The game looked in the balance ahead of the final day's play but three wickets in the morning from Robbie Joseph (4- 25) ensured Kent took a 20-point win.

Kent made 247 in the first innings – boosted by Sam Northeast's 112 – and then Darren Stevens took 6-60 as Essex collapsed to just 201.

Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld hit half centuries in the second innings but they set Essex a target of just 285 and it looked within reach.

However, James Tredwell accounted for Alistair Cook after he and Billy Godleman put on 60 for the first wicket and Kent took regular wickets from then on to seal the win.

On-loan Nottinghamshire seamer Charlie Shreck returned wicket-less from Chelmsford but looks to be in line for another start today.

Matthew Coles couldn't overcome his injury battle to face Essex but may be fit for Northamptonshire, who will include two ex-Kent players in their line-up, captain Andrew Hall and Niall O'Brien. But the big dangerman looks to be overseas pro and Sri Lankan international Chaminda Vaas. On the plus side, his left-arm bowling could create rough that Tredwell will try to exploit.