Kent in the fast lane

Robbie Joseph celebrates one of his three wickets, that of Gary Keedy for four

Kent's pace bowlers may have put their side back in the LV County Championship title race with a remarkable first day display against Lancashire at Liverpool.

Kent, who were 13 points off top spot coming into the game, reduced relegation-threatened Lancashire to 107 all out from 39 overs on a bowler-friendly track at Aigburth.

And their batsmen consolidated their fine start by reaching 147 for five thanks in the main to an entertaining 91 from Geraint Jones.

A total of 15 wickets fell in the 73 overs of play possible after the first session was wiped out because of wet conditions and there was plenty of help for the bowlers courtesy of sideways movement.

Robbie Joseph and Amjad Khan claimed figures of 3-37 from nine overs and 3-10 from nine respectively.

Ryan McLaren also notched impressive figures of 2-13 from his 10 overs, while Yasir Arafat recorded 2-32 from 10.

Steven Croft top-scored with 30 from 65 balls with five fours and there were four ducks in the Red Rose county's innings.

Paul Horton was the first man to go when he was caught behind by Jones wafting at Joseph to leave the score at 15 for one.

Championship rookie Karl Brown, playing only his second four-day game for the county, was then caught at first slip by Justin Kemp off Arafat for a duck.

That was the first of two wickets to fall with the score on 22 as Mark Chilton was also trapped lbw by Joseph for nine.

Stuart Law and Francois Du Plessis put on 27 for the fourth wicket to at least advance the score to 49 but the wickets kept on tumbling as the home captain was bowled for 11 by Amjad.

Amjad Khan bowls Francois Du Plessis on his way to figures of 3-10 against Lancashire in Liverpool

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All three of Amjad's wickets were bowled as he got rid of Du Plessis and Glen Chapple to help further reduce Lancashire to ruins at 66 for seven. McLaren trapped Luke Sutton in front in between.

Tom Smith confirmed his status as the fourth home player to record a duck alongside Brown, Sutton and Chapple when he was caught behind off the bowling of McLaren to leave the score at 67 for eight.

Kent had taken four wickets for four runs from 19 balls to reduce the score from 63 for five to 67 for eight.

Croft and Gary Keedy shared the highest stand of the innings, 36 for the ninth wicket, before the latter was bowled by Joseph with the score on 103 and Croft was the final man to go when he was caught behind off the bowling of Arafat.

This was Lancashire's lowest championship score since they were skittled for 103 against Northamptonshire in a Division Two clash three seasons ago.

Chapple then gave Lancashire the perfect start with the ball by removing makeshift opener James Tredwell lbw for four in the first over of the Kent innings.

Regular opener Joe Denly went down with a migraine just minutes before play started at 1pm.

Oliver Newby trapped Rob Key lbw for four and Chapple trapped van Jaarsveld for four.

Jones and Darren Stevens (30) shared 63 for the fourth wicket before Newby bowled the former to leave the score at 133 for four. And Jones then departed leg before to give Newby his third wicket.

The former England wicketkeeper hit 16 boundaries and Kent led by 40 at stumps.