A MISSED batting bonus point, a Nick Knight century, Min Patel’s 500th wicket for the club and a brace of dropped catches were the main features of Kent’s second day of championship action against Warwickshire.

A sunny but chilly day led to numb fingers in the Kent ranks as the hosts dropped at least two, possibly three chances as Warwickshire made a workmanlike reply to Kent’s first innings of 347 all out.

By stumps the reigning champions had reached 288 for seven after 100 overs built around a stoic century from their skipper Nick Knight.

The hosts started the day needing eight runs for a fourth batting bonus point but missed out by three runs and only eight balls into the day when Amjad Khan walked across his stumps to go leg before.

Khan soon made amends by having former Bears’ skipper Michael Powell caught behind in the fourth over of the reply.

Powell, who has scored centuries in his last three matches against Kent, edged to Jones when trying to withdraw the bat from a quick ball just six inches outside off stump.

Knight then joined forces with England possible Ian Bell to add 163 in 63 overs before Kent were to enjoy their next breakthrough.

Knight scored freely at first, racing to his 50 in 88 minutes and with nine fours as Kent’s attack struggled for a consistent line and length.

Bell was given a let off when on 44 when David Fulton palmed an overhead chance away off the bowling of the luckless Simon Cook, who has yet to take a wicket since joining from Middlesex.

To their credit Kent tightened up their act considerably thereafter and stemmed the flow of runs to such an extent that the usually free-scoring Knight went two-and-a-quarter hours without hitting a boundary.

It was Patel who finally broke the stand, but vitally, the slow left-armer bagged both established batsmen in the space of three balls in the 67th over of the innings.

Knight had reached his 208-ball century with 11 fours in exactly four hours but, to his very next delivery, he pushed forward to a lifting ball and feathered a catch into the gloves of Jones.

Two balls and one run later, Bell went leg before when trying to cut at an arm ball that slid into the right-hander to tuck him up.

Cook saw Trott dropped off a sitter by Jones when on 15 but to save the keeper’s blushes the miss counted for only four runs.

Three overs later Patel was celebrating his 500th scalp in Kent colours when he bowled Jonathan Trott off the pads after the right-hander attempted to pad away a ball that turned from outside leg stump.

He becomes the first Kent bowler to pass 500 wickets for the county since Kevin Jarvis and Graham Johnson achieved the feat in the mid-1980s.

Simon Cusden chipped in with the wicket of Dougie Brown for a swashbuckling 22 when he slashed a drive to Matthew Walker at point, then the second new ball have Khan the impetus he needed to put Kent into the box seat.

With the second ball of a new Nackington Road spell Khan snared Alex Loudon leg before with an off cutter for 36 then Tony Frost went for five after being caught plumb in front by a shooter.

With the pitch showing signs of inconsistency, the hosts may well find their overnight lead of 59 a very precious one.