KENT batted their way into the ascendancy at Edgbaston with the highest partnership since fixtures against Warwickshire first started back in 1894.

At stumps Warwickshire had stumbled to 45 for two, needing another 272 to make the visitors bat again and ensuring it was Kent who took the third day plaudits having bossed the game throughout.

Winter recruit Darren Stevens hit a career-best 163 and Matt Walker a summer’s top score of 140 as the fourth wicket partners contributed 307 in 82 overs to Kent’s total of 569 all out.

Theirs was the first 300 stand for either county in this fixture and it equalled Kent’s seventh best partnership of all time between Harding and Seymour against Worcestershire at Kidderminster back in 1922.

Stevens went to the fifth century of his career and his first for Kent from 176 balls and with 66 in boundaries, while Walker reached three figures and his third against the Bears from 199 balls and with 11 fours and two sixes.

The pair were finally parted after lunch when Walker flat-batted a Neil Carter long-hop to point then, three overs later, Stevens nicked a bat-pad catch to the keeper to give former Kent spinner Alex Loudon the first of his three for 130 return.

A delighted Stevens said afterwards: "It’s not just my first ton for a almost a year, but the first for my new club and the highest of my career, so it’s difficult to put into words how good I feel.

"When I got to three figures the feeling was immense and if we go on and win the game I’ll definitely put this down as my best innings ever.

"It means so much for me to have my team-mates right behind me because it wasn’t always that way at Leicestershire.

"There were only a couple of the guys there who I felt really wanted me to get runs, but at Kent I feel wanted, that everyone is pulling for me."

Kent batted on aimlessly thereafter as Justin Kemp and Andrew Hall stalled the run rate with a soporific stand of 45 in which the South African pairing reaped just one boundary in 18 overs.

Once they tossed away their wickets Kent lost their last four wickets for six runs inside three overs to leave Warwickshire to score 317 to make Kent bat again.

David Fulton’s decision to bat on until 5.20pm looked at odds with the situation of this match and the Edgbaston pitch, which appeared to be getting easier to bat on.

It also seemingly failed to take into account Warwickshire’s backs to the wall effort in the opening game of the season when Nick Knight’s side batted throughout the final day to secure a draw.

And when Knight and Michael Powell raced to 30 from the first seven overs, Fulton was forced into a re-think by introducing Min Patel’s left-arm spin as early as the eighth over and Hall’s aggressive seamers for the 13th over of the reply.

And it was Hall who gave Kent their first success of the final session, pegging back Powell’s off stump with a shooting leg-cutter that left the opener hopelessly squared up.

England hopeful Ian Bell lasted just four balls before having his middle stump plucked out by an off-cutter that also kept a shade low to give Hall two for two and send Kent into raptrures.

Should Fulton’s side go on to win their third successive Frizzell match they will move to the top of Division 1.

SCOREBOARD

Warwickshire first innings

N V Knight b Khan 8
M J Powell c van Jaarsveld b Cook 49
I R Bell b Khan 1
I J L Trott c O’Brien b Cook 0
A G R Loudon c O’Brien b Cook 14
J O Troughton c O’Brien b Hall 1
D R Brown c Kemp b Khan 10
T Frost c Kemp b Stevens 23
H H Streak lbw b Cook 51
N M Carter lbw b Kemp 82
N A Warren not out 2
Extras 11

Total 252 all out after 84 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-8, 2-10, 3-13, 4-34, 5-39, 6-52, 7-114, 8-116, 9-213.

Bowling: Khan 18-4-69-3, Cook 23-5-79-4, Hall 24-12-39-1, Stevens 11-3-33-1, Kemp 5-1-24-1, Patel 3-1-4-0.

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Trott b Brown 6
R W T Key lbw b Bell 75
M van Jaarsveld c Trott b Bell 62
M J Walker c Troughton b Carter 140
D I Stevens c Frost b Loudon 163
J M Kemp b Loudon 25
A J Hall c Bell b Warren 49
N J O’Brien not out 21
M M Patel c sub (Pretorious) b Loudon 0
S J Cook c Knight b Warren 0
A Khan run out (Warren) 0
Extras 27

Total 569 all out after 167.1 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-7, 2-145, 3-154, 4-461, 5-472, 6-517, 7-563, 9-568.

Bowling: Streak 4.1-3-8-0, Brown 28-4-71-1, Carter 31.5-1-127-1, Bell 14-5-45-2, Trott 15-2-37-0, Warren 24-2-104-2, Loudon 43.1-7-130-3, Troughton 7-0-37-0.

Warwickshire second innings

N V Knight not out 26
M J Powell b Hall 16
I R Bell b Hall 0
N A Warren not out 0
Extras 3

Total 45 for two after 20 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-39, 2-39

Bowling: Khan 6-1-19-0, Cook 3-0-13-0, Patel 7-4-10-0, Hall 4-2-2-2.