Worcestershire shaded day one of their Rothesay County Championship match with at Canterbury, reaching 80 for 2 at stumps to trail by 158.

They bowled Kent out for 238, with Tom Taylor taking 3 for 55, while keeper Henry Culen took five catches. Daniel Bell-Drummond was Kent’s top scorer with 52, but the hosts collapsed in the evening session, losing their last five wickets for just 25.

Hasan Mahmud then took two wickets in two balls to reduce the visitors to 26 for 2, but they recovered with an unbroken stand of 54 between, Daniel Lategan and Adam Hose, who were unbeaten on 35 and 24 respectively.

On a potentially pivotal day in the Division Two promotion race, fourth-placed Worcestershire chose to bowl at second-placed Kent under leaden skies, and got Zak Crawley for six in the fourth over. The England man edged Ben Allison to second slip and although Hose initially dropped him, he stuck his hands out and just grabbed the ball before it hit the turf.

Taylor then strangled Ben Compton for eight but Hose spilled Tawanda Muyeye when he nicked Matthew Waite while on 10. With Sam Northeast, Muyeye steered Kent to 90 for 2 when rain forced an early lunch at 12.25pm.

The first over after the resumption was eventful, with Muyeye taking Adam Finch for ten runs before inexplicably swishing him to Waite at midwicket. Finch then had Northeast caught behind for 43 off an inside edge.

Bell-Drummond hit Allison for three consecutive fours to reach 18, but got a life when he edged him, straight to second, where Hose again missed a simple chance.

Chris Benjamin made a useful 40 before Beyers Swanepoel had him caught behind off an inside edge and although Bell-Drummond reached 50 just before tea, he was lbw to Waite in the second over after it.

Grant Stewart nicked Waite behind for 19, and Matt Milnes made seven before Tom Taylor had him caught by Allison at first. Dudgeon then nicked Allison behind for eight and the ground staff were revving the tractor before Matt Quinn even arrived at the crease. He holed out to Taylor and Kent were all out with 25 overs remaining.

Worcestershire went to 26 without loss before Hasan took two wickets in two balls at the end of the sixth. He bowled Jake Libby for 18, hitting middle and off, then had Rehaan Edavalath lbw for a golden duck. Yet Lategan survived a toe-crusher from Hasan and was looking set when the light failed with 4.1 overs remaining.