County Championship: Joe Denly heads Kent rally after Bears edge first-innings lead

England Test player Joe Denly responded to his first-innings third-ball duck with only his third half-century of the season

Joe Denly led a positive response for Kent in Birmingham after Sam Hain's 99 had helped Warwickshire chisel a slender 60-run first-innings lead.

India paceman Navdeep Saini took 5-72 on his Kent debut, aided by four catches for wicketkeeper Sam Billings - to give him seven in the innings - as the Bears were bowled out for 225.

But Kent, batting again 60 behind, forged ahead to close on 198-4.

Denly and Jordan Cox shared an unbroken stand of 93 to help Kent lead by 138.

At 105-4, the visitors led by just 45 when Craig Miles followed up two more scalps for first-innings six-wicket hero Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Will Rhodes' removal of England opener Zak Crawley.

But Kent closed in a lot healthier position, with Denly on 70 and Cox on 40.

After resuming on 155-6, the reigning county champions' hopes of picking up the first batting point in the match were hit by the loss of Danny Briggs for 20, caught behind off Matt Henry, followed by Billings then also snaffling the wickets of Henry Brookes and Miles in quick succession off Saini.

At 197-9, last man Hannon-Dalby's first mission was merely to hang around long enough to pick up a batting point. But, in the end, he lasted a whole hour. His only scoring shot in 34 balls took him to 50 runs for the season and his crease occupation should have been enough to help Hain to his century, just as he has twice helped Michael Burgess to do this season in similar circumstances.

But, on the stroke of a late lunch, Hain lashed outside off stump to give Matt Milnes his third wicket - and Billings that seventh catch.

While Hain missed out on a deserved century, Billings was a lot happier after equalling his own best - but it is not a Kent record. Former Kent keeper Steve Marsh twice took eight in an innings in the 1990s.

And, by the end of a sultry, comparatively cool day in which the Edgbaston floodlights remained on throughout, Kent were smiling even more thanks to Denly's third Championship half-century of the summer.

Warwickshire's Sam Hain:

"I was pleased to get some runs, although obviously a little bit frustrated not to get one more.

"The game is right in the balance. We are two wickets away from their bowlers so if we can get a couple early, it's game on as the pitch is still doing a bit. It's certainly the greenest pitch we've had at Edgbaston this season

"It's up to us to create some chances and take them and then get our batting heads on. They have a strong attack with ,their back-up bowlers. We know that but, whatever they set, we have players capable of chasing it."

Kent captain Sam Billings told BBC Radio Kent:

"Of course we would like to be in a different position but the fight that Jordan Cox and Joe Denly showed in that last session has wrestled a little bit of momentum back for us. They batted beautifully.

"We just need to keep on fighting and scrapping for every single run to get us a healthy enough lead to really put them under pressure. What that number is, we'll have to find out but we're looking hopefully at a 250-plus lead.

"We are going to have to start again in the morning and bat really well. That would put us right in contention in this game. Hopefully these guys can keep going and building."