Steven Kirby and Simon Cook put in the hard work in the sun as bowlers dominated the second day of the Championship clash between Kent and Gloucestershire.

Cook, playing only his third Championship match of the summer for Kent, returned season's best figures of five for 22 to help the hosts take Gloucestershire's last eight wickets for 97 and give his side an unexpected 65-run first innings lead in Beckenham.

Batting again by 2.30pm, Kent's top order also struggled to cope with the bounce of this sun-baked Worsley Bridge Road pitch and the pace generated by Gloucestershire's Kirby who took four for 25 during two impassioned stints from the Crystal Palace End.

By the close and the mid-point of the game Kent had reached 149 for six after 56 overs for an overall lead of 214.

Again it was first innings top scorer Martin van Jaarsveld who showed the way with a second half-century in the game from 108 balls and with eight fours.

The tall South African, the only player to post 50 in this game to date, continues to weld together a fragile Kent side who persist in frustrating their membership by batting only slightly better second time around.

Openers Rob Key (12) and Sam Northeast (30) both fell to Kirby either side of tea.

Key was caught on the crease by an off-cutter then Northeast, who has been called up for the England Under-19s Test and ODI series against Bangladesh starting next week, went leg before to a painful yorker on the left boot.

Kirby also chipped in with the scalp of Geraint Jones (4), who wafted outside off stump to edge to second slip, while Darren Stevens (3) nicked to the keeper as he push-drove at a lifting, turning ball from Vikram Banerjee.

Thankfully for the Kentish faithful, van Jaarsveld (62) teamed up with fellow South African Justin Kemp (25no) to add a useful 55 in 19 overs for the fifth wicket before van Jaarsveld's top-edged pull flew to the keeper to give Kirby a fourth wicket.

The start of the day had belonged to Cook. The tall, willowy former Middlesex seamer bowled the perfect length for this bone-hard pitch to run through the league leaders' middle order with his seventh five-wicket haul for Kent.

Resuming on their overnight total of 69 for two and in pursuit of Kent' s seemingly below par 231, Gloucestershire lost early wickets to spin before succumbing to Cook's seam.

Off-spinner James Tredwell enticed Alex Gidman (28) and Kadeer Ali (27) down the pitch to have them caught at mid-off and silly point respectively before Cook got in on the act by having left-hander James Franklin (7) pouched at slip - the first of four off Cook that flew to the keeper and slip cordon.

Stephen Snell (0) wafted across the line to go leg before then, soon

after lunch, top scorer Craig Spearman (47) nibbled one to second slip to make it 151 one for seven.

Yet within the space of five more overs Gloucestershire had succumbed, losing their last three for 11 runs.