WORCESTERSHIRE let Kent off the hook on day one of the LV= County Championship Division Two clash at New Road.

The hosts won the toss and put their opponents in and the plan appeared to be working as Kent collapsed to 25-4 inside the opening hour.

However, a fine rearguard action from the south-east county saw them finally dismissed for 324 in the final over of the day, thanks chiefly to Darren Stevens (95) and Ben Harmison (96).

While both batsmen perished when tantalisingly close to a century, they combined to dig their side out of a huge hole and it is honours even as the match heads into day two tomorrow.

Gareth Andrew shared the new ball with Alan Richardson and left the Kent top order in tatters with a superb nine-over opening burst that yielded figures of 3-20.

The all-rounder found the edge of Sam Northeast’s bat for Moeen Ali to take the chance at slip to make it 22-1.

Then, within the space of 17 balls and for the addition of no runs to the total, the visitors imploded to 25-4 as Andrew struck twice more and Richardson accounted for former England man Rob Key.

However, wily veteran all-rounder Stevens, 37, has been in fine form this term and he teamed up with Harmison to stage a battling comeback.

Stevens brought up half-century with a six-over long-off off Andrew and the duo put on 174 runs in 49 overs.

Having done the hard work, Stevens threw away what would have been a well-deserved century by flicking Joe Leach to Moeen at short mid-wicket.

Geraint Jones struck four fours in his 21-ball 17, but soon paid for his carefree approach.

In the first over back after tea, the one-time England wicketkeeper played a cut shot at a Graeme Cessford lifter and feathered a catch through to Ben Cox behind the stumps.

James Tredwell, another of Kent’s England associates, helped Harmison put on 30 for the seventh wicket, but he was trapped lbw by the first ball of the returning Jack Shantry’s third spell.

The left-arm seamer then ensured Harmison also missed out on a century.

The tall batsman had batted patiently, occupying 220 balls to reach 96, but a rush of blood in a bid to bring up three figures saw him aim a drive at Shantry (3-69) only to have his stumps rearranged.

Worcestershire would have been reasonably happy with their day’s work when Kent were 257-8.

But a combination of sloppy bowling in the final session and a resolute 52-run ninth-wicket stand between Calum Haggett (34 not out) and Mitch Claydon (33) shifted the balance of power in favour of the away side.