KENT captain Rob Key scored his maiden championship hundred against Warwickshire, the 33rd of his career, to help his side reach maximum batting bonus points and a draw with Warwickshire that moves them out of the LV Championship first division relegation zone.

On the fourth and final day of a match that lost its opening two days to rain, Kent had little else but the four batting points to play for if they were to leave Birmingham with 12 points, sufficient to lift them above fellow strugglers Surrey.

Hosts Warwickshire were hampered by the loss of left-arm seamer Lee Daggett through a side strain and three other minor knocks, but even so, their attack proved little short of woeful as Key with 153, Martin van Jaarsveld (85), Matt Walker (44) and Neil Dexter (59) scored freely before the sides shook hands on a draw at 5pm as Kent reached exactly 400 for four and an overall lead in the match of 187.

Key, dropped on 66 when Darren Maddy downed a stinging half-chance at gulley off the bowling of Heath Streak, reached his third ton of the summer with a clip to the mid-wicket ropes off Jonathan Trott, the 18th four of his 203-ball hundred.

It gave the former England right-hander his first career century against the Bears, leaving him to score hundreds against Worcestershire, Sussex, Glamorgan and Derbyshire for a full set of tons off all 17 counties.

At the other end, van Jaarsveld posted a steady, chanceless 50 from 136 balls as the second wicket partners added 201 in 61 overs before the second new ball accounted for both in the space of three overs.

Key, having hit 25 boundaries from 268 balls faced, clipped a leg stump half-volley from Alfonso Thomas to Luke Parker at mid-wicket then, in Thomas's next over, van Jaarsveld got a leading edge to proffer a return catch to the bowler.

With their hearts set on 400, Kent batted on to the bitter end through Dexter and Walker, who posted a further 85 in 31 overs before Walker gave Thomas his third wicket on debut by clipping a cut shot to cover point.

Dexter reached his third successive championship 50 from111 balls and with 10 fours and he then hit the single that took Kent to 400, the declaration and a maximum points draw.

Kent had dominated proceedings on Thursday's opening day when, after watching it rain for two days, they bowled well to rush Warwickshire out for 213 inside 59.5 overs.

Tim Ambrose top-scored with 49 from 74 balls, but otherwise it was an abject batting display by the hosts on a pitch that offered some assistance having sweated under the covers fro 48 hours.

That said, Kent bowled and fielded well. Martin Saggers found swing and seam movement to claim three for 53, albeit at a slower pace than when at his Test match pomp, leaving Ryan McLaren to take the plaudits as the pick of Kent's attack with four for 42.

In his last game for the county before flying home to Pakistan on Sunday, Yasir Arafat accounted for Trott for the cost of 50 runs, while Lasith Malinga's sole success cost 45. The Sri Lankan was again wayward and disappointing.

Scorecard:

Warwickshire first innings
D L Maddy c Jones b Saggers 8
K C Sangakkara c van Jaarsveld b Saggers 26
I J L Trott c van Jaarsveld b Arafat 10
J O Troughton lbw b McLaren 36
A G R Loudon c van Jaarsveld b McLaren 14
T R Ambrose c van Jaarsveld b Malinga 2
L C Parker not out c van Jaarsveld b McLaren 49
H H Streak c Tredwell b Saggers 15
A Thomas not out 21
A J Shantry lbw b McLaren 0
L Daggett c Jones b van Jaarsveld 3
Extras 29

Total 213 all out after 59.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-31, 2-40, 3-48, 4-91, 5-94, 6-132, 7-166, 8-209, 9-209.

Bowling: Arafat 15-2-50-1, Saggers 16-2-53-3, McLaren 13-0-42-4, Malinga 8-0-45-1, Tredwell 7-1-21-0, van Jaarsveld 0.5-0-1-1.

Kent first innings
J L Denly c Loudon b Streak 31
R W T Key c Powell b Thomas 153
M van Jaarsveld c&b Thomas 85
M J Walker c Parker b Thomas 44
N J Dexter not out 59
G O Jones not out 6
Extras 22

Total 400 for four declared after 121.3 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-82, 2-283, 3-286, 4-371.

Bowling: Thomas 30-10-74-3, Shantry 4-0-31-0, Daggett 8-0-31-0, Streak 21-5-53-1, Maddy 25-9-44-0, Loudon 15.3-0-65-0, Troughton 4-0-24-0, Trott 12-1-48-0, Parker 2-0-16-0.

Match Drawn. Bonus points: Warwickshire 6pts, Kent 12pts.