KENT’S bowling attack gave their batsmen valuable support and claimed a first innings lead of 195 by dismissing Sussex for 332 on day two of the 154th Canterbury Cricket Week.

Having seen Kent post a season’s best total of 527, Sussex slid to 92 for four as youngsters Amjad Khan, Robbie Joseph bagged a wicket apiece and Matt Dennington three but recovered to reach three batting bonus points.

Rookie paceman Rob Joseph polished off the innings four balls from the close, bowling Mushtaq Ahmed (45) to give Kent a deserved lead.

After a poor start to their reply the reigning Frizzell Champions dug in with a fifth wicket stand worth 139 in 37 overs between Matt Prior and Richard Montgomerie before Dennington struck again for his third scalp.

Khan started the ball rolling when he uprooted Ian Ward’s leg and middle stumps to make it 32 for one with Ward on 20.

Joseph then had Tony Cottey, who scored 185 against Kent barely a fortnight ago, caught behind without scoring as the Welshman chased an out-swinger.

Zimbabwean Murray Goodwin looked at ease in reaching 28 from 26 balls, but he then flat-batted a Dennington long-hop into the hands of Michael Bevan at deep point to give the South African-born all-rounder a wicket with his fourth ball.

The rout continued when Chris Adams drove at an out-swinger to give Niall O’Brien his second catch of the innings.

Prior and Montgomerie set out their stall to bat until stumps, but after 57 overs Montgomerie’s stay ended when he pushed at a good length and edged behind for O’Brien to claim his third catch of the innings.

Prior continued unabated to reach his second century in a fortnight against Kent, this time from 103-balls and with 18 fours.

But, with his score on 112, Prior danced down the pitch to Patel only to be beaten by the turn to gift O’Brien a simple stumping.

Next ball up, Luke Wright edged onto his front pad to pop up a bat-pad catch to Matthew Walker at short leg to make it 270 for seven.

James Kirtley edged a Joseph away-swinger to give O’Brien his first five-victims in an innings, then Loudon trapped Robin Martin-Jenkins leg before Joseph polished the job off.

He finished with career-best figures of three for 70 on his home debut, as did Matt Dennington with three for 48.

Kent will now face the quandary of whether to enforce the follow-on come day three, but the press box money goes on Kent batting again.