Joe Denly's unbeaten half-century dug Kent out of trouble and left their vital LV= Insurance County Championship tussle with Warwickshire finely poised at the halfway stage.

Trailing by 60 on first innings, the visitors closed the second day at Edgbaston on 198-4 - 138 ahead - with Denly unbeaten on 70.

Kent were in peril at 105-4 but the former England batter joined forces with Jordan Cox (40 not out) to add an unbroken 93 to keep their side in with a chance of a vital victory in a tussle between the two sides just above Division One's bottom two.

In the morning they bowled Warwickshire out for 225 with Navdeep Saini taking 5-72 on his debut. Wicketkeeper Sam Billings took seven catches, the second time in his Kent career he has ended up one short of Steve Marsh's 1991 record against Middlesex at Lord's.

Sam Hain defied discomfort from a sore back to lead Warwickshire's batting. He was last to fall, for 99, as the home side acquired a lead that was useful rather than commanding.

During an overcast morning, Warwickshire made slow progress. The last four wickets were all snaffled by Billings. Danny Briggs edged Matt Henry and when Henry Brookes and Craig Miles nicked Saini, it was left to number 11 Olly Hannon-Dalby to try to escort his team to a batting point and his partner to a century. The former happened but the latter did not as Hain bottom-edged a cut at Matt Milnes.

Second time round, Kent again started falteringly and lost both openers before the deficit was erased. Ben Compton edged Hannon-Dalby to third slip for five and Zak Crawley tamely chipped Will Rhodes to mid-wicket on 25.

Daniel Bell-Drummond made 27 but fell lbw to Hannon-Dalby and when Miles hit Jack Leaning's off-stump with a beauty, Kent were just 45 runs ahead.

Denly and Cox played with composure and patience to first stabilise the innings and then accelerate gently against the softening ball as the pitch appeared to start to flatten. Denly continued his return to form by reaching 50 in 92 balls and celebrated with a straight six off Briggs.

Cox batted impressively for the second time in the match and that the sixth-wicket pair stayed intact to resume in the morning tilted the balance of power narrowly Kent's way.

Kent captain Sam Billings said: "Of course we would like to be in a different position but the fight that Coxy and Joey showed there in that last session has wrestled a little bit of momentum back for us. They batted beautifully.

"We just need to keep on fighting and scrapping for every single run to get us a healthy enough lead to really put them under pressure.

"What that number is, we'll have to find out but we are looking hopefully at a 250-plus lead.

"But we are going to have to start again in the morning and bat really well."