Kent suffered an innings defeat to Hampshire just after tea on day four of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury.

The hosts were dismissed for 296 to lose by an innings and 51 runs, a second successive home defeat for Kent.

Much of Kent's hopes rested on the shoulders of opener Ben Compton, who resumed 37 not out and progressed through to lunch unscathed alongside partner Jordan Cox.

Cox played and missed at Keith Barker when on 13 and a googly from Mason Crane somehow eluded his stumps and went for four byes as Kent reached lunch on 161-3.

Barker broke through 15 minutes into the afternoon session when Compton was given out caught behind for 89 to a leg-side delivery.

Ollie Robinson was out for nine in the next over, the skipper hit Felix Organ (3-63) for boundaries off the first two balls but edged the third to Ben Brown.

By now Organ was extracting some serious turn, but Darren Stevens brought up the Kent 200 when he swiped him for six and Cox hit Mohammad Abbas through cow corner to pass fifty for the second time in the match.

Stevens should have been out when he hit a full toss from Mason Crane straight to Liam Dawson, but the fielder spilled the catch.

The game’s most controversial moment came when Cox was given out for 64, caught at short leg by Joe Weatherley off Organ, to a ball that replays showed had initially hit him halfway up the thigh. It left Kent 247-6.

Abbas then accounted for Matt Milnes, who misjudged a pull shot and was caught by Weatherley for 13.

Hamidullah Qadri joined Stevens and survived until tea, at which point Kent were 287-7, but he fell to the third ball after the restart, edging Kyle Abbott (5-29) behind for 11.

Abbott’s next ball removed Nathan Gilchrist for a golden duck, caught by Weatherley at short leg.

Jackson Bird hit Abbott’s hat-trick ball for four but he was lbw to the next delivery, leaving Stevens unbeaten on 41 as Hampshire celebrated a convincing win.

Kent batting coach Ryan ten Doeschate said: "Hampshire are a strong bowling unit and I think we missed some key moments in the game, particularly being 233-3 on that first day.

"We needed to finish the day stronger than that, but then again I think we showed great fight today. I thought the two guys who got stuck in and got runs were very unlucky to have their innings ended in both instances.

"We're certainly not in a bad place, I've looked at the metrics and we've batted 600 overs in the first three games which isn't the recipe for losing two and drawing one, so I think there are a lot of positives to take.

"The form of Ben Compton is very good and generally I'm very happy with the way the batters are going, but there's definitely a bit of work to be done on both aspects of the game.

"When you're spending double the amount of time at the crease than the other team, you are going to get a few more bad decisions.

"It's very frustrating, particularly for Ben, who's been monumental at the start of this season, to have two innings ended in that fashion, but we don't want to focus on the decisions.

"He's batted tremendously well and over time you are going to get decisions that go against you and you are just going to have to suck them up."