Worcestershire were bowled out for 211 on day one of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Kent at New Road despite a fine knock from Joe Clarke.
The England Lions player was last out for a top score of 69 from 124 balls with eight boundaries.
Then Kent openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson saw their side to 55-0 from 20 overs by the 7.50pm close.
Worcestershire were put into bat after losing the toss although that clearly was the preferred choice of skipper Daryl Mitchell after he did not exercise the option to bowl first on a pitch with a tinge of green.
They reached 103-2 at one stage before a productive afternoon spell of 4-9 in 20 balls by Mitchell Claydon while keeper Sam Billings claimed seven catches.
George Rhodes was promoted to open the innings in place of Brett D'Oliveira who was ruled out with a dislocated finger.
Play got underway on time at 12 noon after Kent had been in Royal London One-Day Cup action at Hove yesterday evening.
Runs were hard to come by against the new ball attack of Darren Stevens and Matt Coles and it was the eighth over before Mitchell collected the first boundary off the former.
Coles made the first breakthrough when Mitchell (16) edged a good delivery through to Billings with the total on 24.
In-form Tom Fell got off the mark first ball with four through mid wicket off Coles and then top-edged the same bowler over the slips to the boundary.
Rhodes scored his first run from his 27th delivery as Worcestershire reached 63-1 off 24 overs by lunch.
Fell moved onto 34 before he also fell to the Billings-Coles combination with seven runs added after the interval.
Rhodes continued to show plenty of defiance and picked up his first boundary from his 91st delivery.
But after reaching 103-2, Worcestershire lost a string of wickets in quick succession to Claydon.
Rhodes (16) gave Billings a third catch and then Tom Kohler-Cadmore (3) went for a hook and gloved through to the keeper.
Ross Whiteley (6) went hard at a widish ball and was caught by Will Gidman at gulley and then Ben Cox feathered a climbing delivery to Billings to leave Worcestershire on 127-6 in the 47th over.
There was a sixth catch of the innings for Billings as Joe Leach (16) deflected a ball from Will Gidman.
Ed Barnard (25) off drove and cover drove Stevens for four before Clarke brought up his 50 off 81 deliveries with seven fours.
The two former England Under-19 colleagues added 49 before Barnard was bowled through the gate by former England spinner James Tredwell.
Kyle Abbott (3) gave Billings his seventh catch – off Claydon – before Clarke's excellent knock ended when he edged Tredwell to Coles at slip.
Claydon finished with his Championship best figures for Kent of 5-42 while Billings became only the second Kent keeper to take seven catches in an innings after Steve Marsh.
