A MAIDEN first-class century by Shane Warne wrestled the initiative away from the hosts in Canterbury as Kent’s South African imports locked horns with Hampshire’s overseas 'Aussies'.

The opening session of this Frizzell Championship clash firmly belonged to Kent as Durban-born seamer Matt Dennington picked up three for 12 in 28 balls to reduce the third-placed visitors to 104 for five at lunch.

All eyes, including those of Test selector Geoff Miller, had been on England Test candidate Kevin Peitersen, but he fell for a single after edging a loose drive to second slip.

John Crawley followed suit off another full-length Dennington delivery leaving Australian left-hander Simon Katich to play the innings of the morning.

His sprightly 94-ball stay for 56 came to a surprising end with a run out mix-up over a risky single to cover that allowed the combination of Darren Stevens and Geraint Jones to steal his prized wicket.

Disgusted by his partner’s refusal to run, Katich slung his bat 10 yards across the floor toward mid-wicket narrowly missing Kent’s celebrating fielders.

Hampshire continued to struggle after lunch and soon lost Sean Ervine (18) and Dimitri Mascarenhas (9), bringing skipper Warne to the wicket with his side in trouble at 130 for seven.

The leg-spinner from Upper Ferntree Gully proceeded to feature in an eighth wicket stand worth 131 with wicketkeeper debutant Tom Burrows, who hit a stylish 42 before shouldering arms to an Amjad Khan leg-cutter to lose his off stump.

Having doubled his side’s score and with partners running out, Warne upped the tempo further producing a series of rasping drives and fearful pull-shots that broke two bats and reaped three sixes and 15 fours on his way to the fastest ton of the season to date from 72-balls.

He unashamedly jumped and punched the air celebrating his first century in 15 years of professional cricket having beaten his previous best of 99 for Australia against New Zealand in Perth four years ago.

"Now I’ve got the first one out of the way I hope there will be a few more round the corner," said Warne after reaching three-figures.

"It has always been and ambition of mine, but having already scored 5,000 first-class runs I was beginning to wonder if this would ever happen.

"I was getting very nervous out there, as you could probably tell, and I don’t normally jump up and down during an innings, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment."

Warne went on to add 46 with Chris Tremlett and 21 for the 10th wicket with last man Richard Logan, who was bowled by Min Patel with Hampshire’s score on 328.

Dennington’s figures suffered after his initial burst to finish with three for 63, while Martin Saggers and Simon Cook claimed two wickets apiece.

Kent’s openers Rob Key and David Fulton enjoyed the best conditions of the day for their reply and appeared to be in control in posting 50 inside 7.3 overs.

But then Ervine nipped his first ball through Key’s gate to peg back off stump and, in the next over, in-form Martin van Jaarsveld flat-batted a Tremlett long hope to Crawley on the third-man ropes.

Matt Walker looked untroubled in scoring 12 before Logan shaped one in to trap the left-hander leg before.

Darren Stevens (18) teamed up with skipper Fulton (64) to see Kent though to stumps without further alarm on 135 for three, reducing the deficit to 193 going into day two.

SCORECARD

Hampshire first innings

J H K Adams lbw b Saggers 0
M J Brown c Jones b Dennington 32
S M Katich run out (Stevens/Jones) 56
J P Crawley c van Jaarsveld b Dennington 0
K P Pietersen c van Jaarsveld b Dennington 1
S M Ervine b Saggers 18
A D Mascarenhas c Jones b Cook 9
T G Burrows b Khan 42
S K Warne not out 107
C T Tremlett c Walker b Cook 35
R J Logan b Patel 4
Extras 24

Total 328 all out after 73.5 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-61, 3-71, 4-79, 5-104, 6-121, 7-130,8-261, 9-307

Bowling: Saggers 19-4-64-2, Khan 15-2-82-1, Cook 16-4-62-2, Dennington 17-5-63-3, Stevens 3-1-13-0, Patel 3.5-1-28-1.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton not out 64
R W T Key b Ervine 20
M van Jaarsveld c Crawley b Tremlett 1
M J Walker lbw b Ervine 12
D I Stevens not out 18
Extras 20

Total 135 for three after 29 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-63, 3-93

Bowling: Tremlett 7-1-31-1, Logan 7-0-33-1, Ervine 5-0-38-1, Mascarenhas 8-1-21-0, Warne 3-0-9-0.

More pictures from day one