Kent (405-7) pick up enough bonus points to ensure County Championship Division 1 safety as they build first-innings lead against Somerset (202) at Canterbury

Kent secured LV= Insurance County Championship Division 1 survival on Tuesday as they racked up bonus points and built a first-innings lead against Somerset.

There were half-centuries at Canterbury for openers Zak Crawley and Tawanda Muyeye, and wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, as Kent reached 405-7 and they are now safe.

With Warwickshire having declared against Hampshire on 272-4 and now unable to get maximum batting points, Kent cannot finish in the bottom two and they will finish on at least 142 points.

Play on a huge day for Kent started at The Spitfire Ground with Nathan Gilchrist on a hat-trick. His hat-trick delivery wrapped the pads of Jack Brooks, only for the umpire to turn down Kent’s appeals.

But it took just 10 minutes for Somerset’s final wicket to fall, Lewis Goldsworthy (94) only able to add one to his overnight score before he was dismissed off 22-year-old seamer Gilchrist, who claimed career-best figures of 6-61. That left Somerset 202 all out.

Openers Crawley and Muyeye made a good start to Kent’s first innings as Somerset wicketkeeper James Rew was left to rue dropping Muyeye in the ninth over when he was on 20.

After that, the opening duo looked largely untroubled. Indeed, Crawley - back from England Test duty - struck three successive fours in the 18th over before Muyeye hit a boundary of his own off the first ball of the next over.

The 100 came up in the 21st over while Crawley moved to 50 in the same over, having scored his 3,000 first-class run along the way.

Muyeye followed suit in the 23rd over, his half-century came up in 75 balls.

With Kent well placed at 149-0, the stage was then set for the club to honour departing legendary all-rounder Darren Stevens at lunch with a special presentation.

But