A dramatic final half-hour saw Kent move to within touching distance of their first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the season on Tuesday.

The home side reduced Gloucestershire to 37-5 as New Zealander Jacob Duffy took three wickets in four balls on his debut, leaving the visitors still 89 runs behind with just five wickets remaining.

It was a far cry from a day that was largely dominated by Kent duo Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning who both made centuries in a record Kent fourth-wicket stand against Gloucestershire.

Kent began day three on 232-3 and added 105 runs without alarm in the first session.

Cox won the race to three figures with a flamboyant reverse-sweep for four off Miles Hammond. In the next over Leaning, who’d been ahead of his colleague for most of the session, scrambled a single to bring up his seventh first-class hundred.

A cut shot from Cox off Ajeet Dale saw Kent move into the lead, and the duo then passed the previous fourth-wicket record of 233 set by Colin Cowdrey and Brian Luckhurst in 1962, before the stand finally came to an end at 254 when Leaning (128) pulled Zafar Gohar to Ollie Price at square leg.

But the game quickly moved on at pace after tea with the visitors' Tom Price taking a hat-trick on his way to career-best figures of 5-53.

Tom Price had Cox caught behind for 158 and then sent George Linde’s off stump flying next ball. After a maiden over from Gohar, Tom Price returned to trap Grant Stewart lbw for his hat-trick as Kent went from 511-4 to 511-7.

But Kent regained the initiative when Matt Milnes joined Sam Billings and the duo put on a rapid 53 in just over eight overs.

Milnes’ 37 included successive sixes and a four from Gohar in the final over before the second new ball was taken, but he then hit Tom Price to Hammond.

Tom Price then sent Duffy’s middle stump cartwheeling for a second-ball duck and when Billings was bowled by Dale for 43 it left Gloucestershire with a nine-over spell to survive before stumps.

Matt Quinn started the visitors’ collapse when he removed George Scott for 10 and Duffy then 4-8 in just two overs.

Scott subsequently edged Quinn to Cox at second slip and Billings took a brilliant diving catch from Duffy’s first delivery to remove James Bracey.

Duffy brilliantly charged down the wicket to catch the first nightwatchman Zak Chappell one-handed for eight off his own bowling, and his next delivery had Dale - the second nightwatchman - caught by Ben Compton close in at fifth slip for a golden duck.

Tom Price was next to move up the order and he survived the hat-trick ball, but was bowled by the next delivery as the visitors went from 33-2 to 33-5 in the space of four balls.

Chris Dent (eight not out) watched the drama all unfold from the other end and he was able to play out the final over from Linde without any real alarm.

Leaning said: “We were stood in the dressing room thinking we can get a lead of 150, 170 and hopefully not have to bat again.

"We lost a couple of quick wickets at the end but the complexion has completely changed with the way we bowled there.

"We’ve had a couple of tough games this year, so to get into a position like that is great fun. Everyone’s leaping about and everyone’s enjoying it.

“We’re in a great position as a team. Hopefully we can come out tomorrow firing as a team and get our first win.”