Worcestershire secured maximum bowling points but face a substantial first innings deficit after day two of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Kent at Canterbury.
The visitors made sure of the third bowling point in the 108th of the permitted 110 overs to add to the one secured for batting yesterday when dismissed for 211.
But good knocks from opener Sean Dickson (79) and veteran Darren Stevens (81) formed the bedrock of a strong Kent reply and there were also useful innings from Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Billings, on loan Will Gidman and Matt Coles.
Ed Barnard picked up three wickets for Worcestershire with Joe Leach and Charlie Morris claiming two apiece as Kent closed on 383-9 – a lead of 172 – before bad light ended play.
Kent resumed on 55-0 from 20 overs with Bell-Drummond on 30 and Dickson 19.
Bell-Drummond, celebrating his 23rd birthday, added only seven to his overnight score before becoming the first casualty of Ladies Day at the world’s oldest cricket festival.
The England Lions batsman fenced a Kyle Abbott leg-cutter to second slip, where Ross Whiteley held onto the good catch diving to his left in front of first slip to make it 74 for one.
Joe Denly moved onto 21 before having his off stump trimmed by a fine Morris delivery.
Then Kent skipper Sam Northeast (1) spooned a catch to Joe Clarke at cover off a leading edge from a Barnard delivery to leave him marooned on 995 county championship runs for the summer.
At the other end Dickson, Kent’s South African-born right-hander, posted a 106-ball half-century with nine fours – his fourth 50 of the county championship campaign – as Kent reached 152-3 by lunch.
Dickson added only two to his interval score before chopping on against Barnard for a well-made 77.
Billings and Kent beneficiary Stevens then teamed up to add 40 inside 13 overs before Billings, on 33, edged an attempted cut to keeper Ben Cox off the bowling of Morris with Kent still trailing by two on first innings.
Stevens and Alex Blake took the hosts into profit before Blake (9) chipped to Whiteley at short mid-wicket off the bowling of Joe Leach.
Stevens marched on to a 67 ball 50 with six fours and a sixth, the 69th half-century of his career but only the fourth of this summer.
He was eventually caught by Clarke – for 81 from 105 balls with 12 fours and one six – at cover off Leach.
Barnard claimed his third wicket as James Tredwell (9) top edged a pull to Cox but then Coles made an enterprising 41.
He finally perished in the deep as Clarke took a good catch running around from deep mid wicket off George Rhodes.
That secured the third bowling point in the 108th over before the light intervened with Gidman 47 not out.
