Matt Milnes led the way as Kent enjoyed their best first innings day in the field this summer on Monday.

The hosts bowled out Northamptonshire for 303 on the opening day of the 170th Canterbury Festival on a baking hot day which appeared to be perfect for batting.

But Kent fought back and reduced the visitors from 205-2 to 271-8 before taking the final two wickets just before the close in Division 1 of the LV= Insurance County Championship match.

It's the first time this season that Kent have restricted their opponents to a score below 430 in the first innings of a four-day game.

Ricardo Vasconcelos won the toss but edged the first ball of the day from Matt Quinn behind to returning Kent captain Sam Billings.

Kent bowled nicely with Emilio Gay and Ryan Rickelton both troubled early on but they came through that tough period and progressed to 95-1 at lunch, taking an early shine to the spin of George Linde.

An elegant cover drive off Milnes took Rickelton to his half-century just after the restart, but he then edged the same bowler behind on 55 to leave Northants on 109-2.

Luke Procter was dropped at leg slip when on 12 off Linde and Gay reached his century, only to fall in the penultimate over before tea when he pulled Joe Denly - the seventh bowler of the day - to mid-wicket for 112 to leave the visitors 205-3.

Denly (2-31) struck again soon after the resumption, getting Procter caught and bowled for 33 and Jack Leaning then bowled Rob Keogh for six as he attempted a horrid sweep shot and lost his leg stump.

The new ball accounted for Josh Cobb who went for nine when he cut a Milnes loosener straight to by Ben Compton at point.

Milnes then splayed Jimmy Neesham’s off and middle stumps, bowling him for 33, before Quinn (2-51) bowled Lewis McManus for four, making it 271-8.

Ben Sanderson made 23 from 18 balls before he edged Grant Stewart and fell to a juggling catch by Billings. Linde wrapped up the innings by bowling Simon Kerrigan for seven with what proved to be the final ball of the day.

Kent’s bowling coach Simon Cook said: “We’re very happy, we wanted to bat first. The wicket’s a good pitch so to bowl a team out on it for 300 really puts us in the box seat.

"I think the encouraging thing about this innings is that we’ve done it in stages throughout the season.

"We’ve had good first sessions and good second sessions, but maybe the last session’s let it slip whereas this day showed really good first class bowling throughout and you reap the rewards at the end of the day."