KENT edged the second day honours at Wantage Road and built a decent overall lead of 107 at the mid-point of their four-day clash with Northamptonshire.

Having been dismissed themselves for 254 inside two sessions on day one, Kent hit back to reduce Northants to 250 all out after the hosts had looked well-placed at 136 for two.

It was then that Pakistan paceman Mohammad Sami switched ends and bowled down the Wantage Road slope to bag three wickets for eight runs in the space of six balls.

Sami sent back Tim Roberts ( 69), Graeme Swann ( 5) and Gerard Brophy (4) in a searing spell of rapid, full-length pace bowling just after a rain-delayed lunch.

Min Patel chipped in with the wicket of Usman Afzaal, caught by Matt Walker at silly point, as Kent wrapped up four wickets in a 12-ball purple patch.

Former Kent seamer Ben Phillips and Northants skipper David Sales then combined forces to frustrate the visitors in an eighth wicket stand worth 38, but Andrew Symonds returned to send back Phillips (4), while Patel had Sales (70) caught at mid-wicket to secure a first innings lead of four.

Sami finished with four for 39 for his first championship wickets of the campaign, Patel bagged three for 81 in his first championship run since September 2002, while Symonds posted two for 44.

Despite fading light and occasional drizzle, Kent’s openers David Fulton (50) and Rob Key (45) held their concentration though to the close to leave Kent in good shape on 103 without loss going into day three.