UNBEATEN centuries from Michael Carberry and Rob Key helped Kent to an unlikely seven-wicket win over Gloucestershire in Bristol.

After three frustrating rain-affected days that limited play to just 55 overs the skippers David Fulton and his Gloucestershire counterpart Chris Taylor came up with a last day deal that kept the game alive.

For their part, Kent bowled on into a fourth day allowing Gloucestershire, after a double forfeiture, to set them a target of 302 to win from 80 overs.

Kent had all but ripped the game from Taylor's grasp by tea, as Key plundered his 13th century for the club and Carberry his first.

Key's hundred, the 16th of his career overall, came off 144 balls, while Carberry raced to his maiden championship century from just 97 deliveries and with 16 fours and a six.

The fourth wicket pair posted an unbroken 183 in attractive style and inside just 33 overs, as Key (119 not) and Carberry (104 not) steered them home with 19 overs to spare.

Neither player offered a chance on a sublime pitch against a workmanlike Gloucestershire attack that lacked the cutting edge of an overseas paceman.

The visitors did lose two wickets before lunch, but crucially just one more went in the mid-session as they moved smoothly toward their target.

Key and Matthew Walker (30) added 53 in 13 overs for the third wicket before Walker miscued a cut against Alex Gidman to float a simple catch to Matt Windows at cover point.

Earlier, Jonathan Lewis, the pick of the home attack, had accounted for Fulton (10) and Ed Smith for a cameo 36 off 30 balls.

Fulton went leg before after padding up to one that nipped back, while Smith allowed a similar delivery to squeeze through bat and bat and uproot middle stump.

But it was plain sailing under blue skies thereafter for Kent as Key and Carberry tore the home attack apart to notch their first opening round win in the championship since 1998.