A career best 7-21 from Darren Stevens, supplemented by an unwavering 70 not out from Rob Key, put Kent firmly in control against Surrey on the second day at Canterbury. With rain forecast for Saturday, the hosts will go into day three entertaining hopes of completing the job before things reach that stage.

Notwithstanding the seamer-friendly conditions, Surrey's batting display could only be described as feeble. Darren Stevens did not pass up the opportunity to better his previous career best of 6-60, which straddled the first two days of the season, against Essex.

In the hour of play that was possible before rain forced an early lunch, Surrey subsided from 54 without loss to 64-5, which almost became 70-6 when Zafar Ansari, on three, was dropped at third slip, by Stevens, off the bowling of Wahab Riaz. But Stevens could be forgiven for his lapse since he was in the middle of a devastating spell that read 7-5-7-3.

In the second over of the day he had Steven Davies caught low down at second slip. Mark Ramprakash then pushed Riaz into the off-side and called Rory Hamilton-Brown through for a quick single. But before the Surrey captain could make his ground, he was beaten by a direct hit from Joe Denly.

Three overs later, Zander de Bruyn was caught in the gully, having been squared up by Stevens, who struck again when Ramprakash played an indeterminate forward defensive only to be caught behind.

Riaz, who had been getting the ball to lift off a length, then got in on the act by enticing Jason Roy into an ill-judged cut-cum-slap, which flew straight to backward point.

During lunch the former Kent and England greats Alan Knott and Derek Underwood opened a stand in their name before repairing to the Committee Tent to enjoy the circling marching band, which did its best to drown the sound of the building work taking place at the Pavilion End.

Immediately after the break Tom Maynard drove Riaz straight down the ground for four before becoming Stevens's fourth scalp. Seven overs later, Ansari was caught at long leg to hand Adam Ball his only success.

In-between two further interruptions for rain, the second of which brought tea forward, Stevens polished off the Surrey tail.

Shortly after being dropped by Geraint Jones, Yasir Arafat fell leg before. The next over saw Gareth Batty take the visitors past the follow-on target of 117 with a cover driven four off Ball. With Tim Linley and Jade Dernbach perishing in almost identical fashion, to catches at third slip, Batty was left stranded on 23.

Linley trapped Denly leg before with the second ball after tea. Rob Key, strong through the off-side as ever, punched fours off Arafat and de Bruyn before Sam Northeast, playing a loose drive, was caught behind in the fourteenth over.

Three overs later, Martin van Jaarsveld brought the fifty up for Kent with the first of two boundaries in the space of three deliveries from de Bruyn. But an ugly heave in the 22nd over saw the South African depart to a good catch by Ansari, running round to his right from mid-off.

Stevens got off the mark with a powerfully struck straight drive off Batty. But an attempt to hit Ansari back over his head for six, resulted in a routine catch at mid-off.

Two overs later, Key raised his half-century, which came off 88 balls and included just four boundaries. But Jones departed not long afterwards when, trying to work Linley to leg, he was beaten for pace.

James Tredwell's demise with three overs to go, lbw sweeping, took the wicket count for the day to sixteen, making Kent's 306-run advantage seem all the more colossal.

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