A tough day in the field for Kent put their LV= Insurance County Championship match back in the balance on Easter Saturday.

There had been 22 wickets in the first two days of the Division 1 game at Canterbury in total - but only five wickets fell on day three.

It leaves Kent still requiring another three second-innings wickets and then with a reasonable total to chase down for victory.

"It's delicately-poised I think," said Kent bowling coach Simon Cook.

"It's still in our favour, though. I think the wicket is flattening out - there's been three heavy rollers on it so far, and it seems to be deadening out.

"It was quite lively day one but, yeah, it's certainly flattened out a little bit more.

"There was a good partnership there by [Gareth] Berg and [Rob] Keogh. They showed, with that application, you can score runs on it.

"Hopefully, that'll bode well for us tomorrow."

Northamptonshire opener Hassan Azad and captain Luke Procter made a good start in the opening hour of the day as the pair were largely untroubled.

The visitors’ first bit of good fortune came at the end of the 29th over when Azad edged wide of gully off Michael Hogan (0-74) for a boundary while the same veteran bowler went up for a caught behind, a few minutes later. But the umpire remained unmoved.

Azad brought up his fifty and put Northamptonshire ahead when he pulled Matt Quinn to the square-leg boundary.

With the next ball, Quinn (2-70) trapped Azad lbw for 51, though, as Kent made a much-needed breakthrough with the away team’s score at 106-3.

Daniel Bell-Drummond (2-42) was introduced into the attack and got the prize wicket of Procter, who fell for 38, with just his second ball. The 34-year-old miscued into the leg-side where Joe Denly took the catch.

The surface appeared much slower than it had done for the first two days but Josh Cobb wasted little time getting going, as he clipped Bell-Drummond for a six on the leg-side.

He had moved to 12 before he was caught behind by captain Sam Billings off Bell-Drummond just prior to the delayed lunchtime interval, which Northamptonshire reached 137-5 and 32 runs ahead.

Kent again struggled to make early inroads with Italian all-rounder Grant Stewart (0-22), who had been in long discussions with Cook at the start of lunch, off the field.

A mix-up at the end of the 62nd over almost cost Lewis McManus his wicket but he was adjudged to have - just about - scrambled back in time.

But McManus did nick behind off Joey Evison (2-52) for 14.

Denly (0-18) came back into the attack in the 72nd over while Jack Leaning came onto bowl, too, as Kent went for spin at both ends.

Rob Keogh used the slower-paced bowling to full effect to move to his half-century with a reverse-swept four off Leaning, with their lead ticking past the 100-run mark.

But with the second new ball due in a matter of balls’ time, James Sales feathered behind off Leaning (1-11) for eight to leave the visitors 208-7.

Billings wasted no time in taking the new Dukes cherry on offer, one which Keogh quickly adjusted to with a flurry of boundaries.

Indeed, Northamptonshire had moved to 243-7, 138 runs in front, by tea.

Gareth Berg was providing good support for Keogh and the pair brought up their 50-run partnership at the start of the 92nd over through a boundary from the former.

Kent’s advantage was now at risk of rapidly evaporating in the latter stages of a tough day for them to leave the match finely poised, ahead of the last day with all three results feasible.

Keogh had a long wait on 99 but he finally moved to his century, which included 13 fours, in the 107th over of Northamptonshire's innings.

The visitors had moved to 300-7, just after 5.45pm and with 15 overs still scheduled in the day’s play, when the two teams were called off for bad light.

Play was then called off altogether 15 minutes later, with Keogh not out on 101 and 42-year-old Berg unbeaten on 49 overnight.

On Stewart's afternoon absence, Cook said: "He came off with a stiff side.

"They're continuing to assess him and we'll see how he is in the morning."