A MAIDEN championship century for the summer by Kent skipper Rob Key helped his side reach an impressive 361 for six on day two of their LV Championship clash with Durham at a breezy Riverside.

A strong cross-wind made life tricky for the home bowlers to keep total control of the ball while batters also found the gusts off-putting apart from Key, who cashed in with a majestic 169 - his best score for Kent since May 2005.

Key's marathon innings, which lasted 384 minutes, should also ensure that Kent should at least match Durham's first innings total of 404 early on the third day of this evenly matched game.

It has to be said that the Durham attack, which for once includes England seamers Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett and all-rounder Paul Collingwood, was guilty of wasting the first new ball.

Rather like Kent on the opening day, they sprayed the ball around liberally and it was only down to good fortune that Harmison made the opening breakthrough of the day in the 12th over and with 45 on the board.

In attempting a leg-side flick-cum-pull shot, Joe Denly (17) got a looping edge down the leg-side that keeper Phil Mustard claimed in spectacular style diving to his left.

There was a touch of bad luck about the next dismissal too, when Martin van Jaarsveld (10), playing back to a shooting Plunkett off-cutter, went leg before although the ball may well have gone on to miss the right-hander's leg stump.

Key then joined forces with Matthew Walker to add 173 in 49 overs for the third wicket in a low-risk, no frills or thrills partnership that took Kent to the brink of their first target of avoiding the follow-on.

Neither man looked troubled until in-form Walker, after contributing 74 from 151 balls with 11 fours, nibbled at a Plunkett ball on the line of off stump to snick to Mustard and become the only victim of the mid-session.

The hosts took the new ball after 80 overs soon after tea and with it came a flurry of three wickets.

Darren Stevens (10) went too far across his stumps in working to leg against Plunkett, the pick of the Durham attack, to be bowled around his legs then Geraint Jones (1) pushed half-forward in defence to a Harmison leg-cutter that shaped away to trim his off stump.

Key's vigil then came to an end after almost six-and-a-half hours for 169 - his fourth best innings for Kent.

Aiming to flick a full-length ball from Graham Onions through mid-wicket Key was sent packing lbw by umpire Neil Bainton although the Kent skipper clearly seemed surprised that the muted appeal was upheld to end an innings lasting 279-balls that included 100 in boundaries.

With the light fading fast, overseas pros Andrew Hall (37) and Yasir Arafat (17) appeared more intent on survival rather than shot-making yet both survived through to 6.12pm when the umpires offered them bad light with 10 overs of the day still scheduled to be bowled.

SCORECARD

Durham first innings

M J Di Venuto not out 204
W R Smith lbw b Arafat 13
P D Collingwood b Arafat 0
K J Coetzer b Tredwell 74
D M Benkenstein c McLaren b Tredwell 2
P Mustard b McLaren 23
G T Park lbw b McLaren 0
L E Plunkett c Jones b Tredwell 35
G Onions c&b Tredwell 4
S J Harmison c Jones b McLaren 5
Extras 42

Total 407 all out after 86.5 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-46, 2-46, 3-227, 4-243, 5-286, 6-290, 7-296, 8-359, 9-367.

Bowling: Yasir Arafat 17-2-85-2, Joseph 8-0-62-0, McLaren 19.5-0-91-4, Hall 10-0-48-0, Tredwell 27-2-88-4, Stevens 5-1-15-0.

Kent first innings

R W T Key lbw b Onions 169
J L Denly c Mustard b Harmison 17
M van Jaarsveld lbw b Plunkett 10
M J Walker c Mustard c Plunkett 72
D I Stevens b Plunkett 10
G O Jones b Harmison 1
A J Hall not out 37
Yasir Arafat not out 17
Extras 28

Total 361 for six after 101 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-45, 2-74, 3-247, 4-282, 5-283, 6-318.

Bowling: Onions 23-1-92-1, Harmison 18-2-59-2, Plunkett 26-4-82-3, Collingwood 14-3-27-0, Breese 14-0-55-0, Benkenstein 6-1-22-0.

* Mark Pennell's day three report will appear here at the close of play this evening.