RAIN stopped Kent from strengthening their grip on this championship clash with fellow title challengers Hampshire on day two at The Rose Bowl.

Just 34 overs were bowled at the new Hedge End venue but Kent dominated the majority of them until heavy showers forced the players from the field at 2.10pm.

The game was abandoned for the day at 4pm with Hampshire on 82 for one, still trailing in the game by 364 runs.

Earlier Kent reached 446 all out and maximum batting bonus points courtesy of a last wicket stand worth 65 between Amjad Khan and Min Patel.

The early loss of Simon Cook without addition to his overnight score meant Kent looked likely to miss out on a fifth point when Cook edged a drive to keeper Nic Pothas to make it 381 for nine.

But Khan went for his shots and ensured that Kent became only the second visiting side to pass 400 here this summer with two fours in a Chris Tremlett over.

Patel also opened up to crack five fours in a 56-ball half-century, his second in successive innings, as Kent kept the hosts in the field until 11.55am.

Kent’s fun finally came to an end when Khan, on a season’s best 33, skied a return catch to bowler Sean Udal after trying to flick to leg.

The heavy roller negated some of the seam movement and variable bounce early in the Hampshire reply but the introduction of Andrew Hall at the Meon Valley End of the ground gave Kent their breakthrough after 10 overs.

Michael Brown tried to working a lifting delivery off his hip but only succeeded in edging a leg-side catch to the tumbling Niall O’Brian who held on to a tough chance way to his left to make it 33 for one.

Sean Ervine rode his luck edging twice over slips and surviving a big leg before shout against Khan to reach an unbeaten 45 before the rain arrived to end the action for the day.

SCORECARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Brown b Mascarenhas 45
R W T Key c Brown b Udal 88
M van Jaarsveld c Watson b Mascarenhas 1
M J Walker c Brown b Tremlett 9
D I Stevens c Ervine b Mascarenhas 101
J Kemp lbw b Bichel 69
A J Hall b Bichel 23
N J O’Brien c Mascarenhas b Bichel 9
M M Patel not out 54
S J Cook c Pothas b Bichel 4
A Khan c&b Udal 33
Extras 10

Total 446 all out after 118 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-80, 2-90, 3-101, 4-201, 5-282, 6-336, 7-350, 8-357, 9-381.

Bowling: Bichel 27-3-122-4, Tremlett 22-1-78-1, Mascarenhas 25-8-77-3, Ervine 11-0-56-0, Watson 14-0-43-0, Udal 18-4-51-2, Lamb 1-0-9-0.

Hampshire first innings

M J Brown c O’Brien b Hall 19
S M Ervine not out 45
J P Crawley not out 15
Extras 3

Total 82 for one after 20 overs – rain stopped play

Fall of wicket: 1-33,

Bowling: Khan 6-0-23-0, Cook 7-0-29-0, Hall 6-1-24-1, Stevens 1-0-5-0.