Nathan Gilchrist took five wickets as Kent edged a step closer to safety in LV= Insurance County Championship Division 1 on Monday.

After a delayed start at Canterbury, Kent reduced Somerset to 9-3 and then 116-6 before three late wickets saw Somerset reach 195-9 as Gilchrist ended with figures of 5-55.

Gilchrist was on a hat-trick when bad light and rain stopped play at 5.07pm, while Matt Quinn has 3-32.

The hosts began knowing they needed 10 points to avoid relegation to Division 2. Heavy overnight rain delayed the start but play eventually began at noon, with Somerset opting to bat despite heavy cloud cover.

Kent immediately made inroads, Quinn getting Tom Lammonby caught for a duck by Jack Leaning at second slip with the fourth ball of the match. Gilchrist then removed Tom Abell for five, caught by the same fielder, and when Andrew Umeed was lbw to Quinn for four, Kent had taken just 28 minutes to secure a first bonus point.

It might have been worse for the visitors but Lewis Goldsworthy was put down by Ollie Robinson off Gilchrist and they recovered to 43-3 at lunch.

George Bartlett was caught behind for 28 off Gilchrist and Conor McKerr was initially denied the wicket of James Rew when he was dropped by Zak Crawley at first slip, but he edged the very next delivery to Daniel Bell-Drummond at third slip and was out for 16.

Ben Green had made 12 when Quinn clipped the top of his middle stump, but an elegant cover drive off Gilchrist took Goldsworthy to his half-century and when Crawley dropped Overton off Gilchrist, Kent were punished, as the visitors responded with their biggest stand of the innings.

Overton was on 27 when Robinson missed a difficult, one-handed chance off Gilchrist, but he was out in Gilchrist’s next over, his off-stump sent flying for 30 to end a stand of 65.

Gilchrist then had Kasey Aldridge caught by Robinson for a duck and with his next delivery he pinned Sajid Khan lbw, securing Kent a third bowling bonus point.

With the light deteriorating, Jack Brooks came into face the hat-trick ball while the umpires were conferring. The game was halted before Brooks could take guard and when heavy rain then began to fall play was abandoned, forcing Gilchrist to have to sleep on what would be his first-ever hat-trick.

Gilchrist said: “We’re all very pleased, obviously the wicket helped us a little bit early on and then especially when there was cloud cover and the lights came on and it carried on moving around. It was a good day to be a bowler.

“It was moving around quite a bit early doors. It was raining quite a bit overnight and we knew there was a bit of moisture around, but the wicket looked pretty good, so we didn’t quite know how it was going to play. Luckily it played into our hands.

"We’ve had a good few weeks coming off the Royal London win and then last week beating Hampshire, so we’re trying to use that momentum and bring it into this week.

"It’s always nice to do well against your old county. This is the first time I’ve played them since I left so I’m off to a good start.”

Gilchrist will resume in the morning on a hat-trick and said: "There’s a lot of planning going on tonight into what ball I’m going to bowl in the morning, but yeah, I think we’re probably going to stick to the same method, get the last wicket and then hopefully bat well tomorrow.

"You don’t know what a good score is until both teams bat, but we came into this game with the expectation that it would be a pretty good wicket, knowing that we need at least a draw. Coming off last week, that was a tricky wicket to bat on, but the boys did a really good job, so hopefully the boys can do it again.”