He captained the side in 2017 before being replaced before the 2018 season after declining to sign a contract extension committing himself to the club in the longer term.

After signing for Hampshire in February 2018, Northeast made his debut for the England Lions later in the month against the West Indies A in Antigua.

He was part of the Harrow cricket team which was touring in Sri Lanka when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck, escaping injury by climbing on to the roof of the pavilion at Galle.

[4] He turned down trials with the England Independent Schools football team and held Kent age-group records in the 400 metres and long-jump.

He went on to make his first-class cricket debut for Kent on 19 September 2007 in their final County Championship game of the season, against Durham at the St Lawrence Ground.

He scored his first limited over century on 20 June 2013, making 115 against the Sussex Sharks, in a world record run chase in a 40 over match.

[10] Northeast was appointed Kent's vice-captain in 2014 and acted as the on-field captain for the side throughout most of the 2015 season, including in all one-day matches.

[25] He was not selected for Kent's squad for the 2017–18 Regional Super50 competition in the West Indies, with the expectation being that he would leave the county before the start of the 2018 season.

[32] Northeast finished on 410 not out to become the first batsman to score 400 runs in a first-class innings since Brian Lara made 400 not out for the West Indies against England in April 2004.