Kent and Derbyshire played out an evenly-fought first day in this top-of-the-table contest in LV County Championship Division Two as the hosts bowled out their visitors for 303 and were 49 for one at stumps.

The home side suffered a late hammer blow at Canterbury when in-form England Lions opener Joe Denly (28) fell to the last ball of the day after nibbling outside off stump to edge to second slip.

Denly's demise, coupled with Derbyshire's 70-run last-wicket stand between Steffan Jones, with an unbeaten 53, and Jake Needham (20), undoubtedly took the gloss off Kent's day and left honours pretty much even going into day two.

Batting first after winning the toss, Derbyshire elected to rest South African pace bowler Nantie Hayward in preference for experienced on-loan seamer Jones who started the season at Kent while also on loan from Somerset.

The east midlands side settled well on a good pitch and added 46 for their first wicket until Simon Cook struck with his sixth ball of the day, snaring Wayne Madsen (three) lbw with an off-cutter.

Cook then had Chris Rogers missed in the cordon when wicketkeeper Geraint Jones and first slip Justin Kemp allowed one to pass between them untouched, but Rogers failed to capitalise and three runs on from a 61-ball 50 he flat-batted a Ryan McLaren long-hop into the hands of Denly at cover.

Just before lunch Garry Park (11) became the first of a four-for-92 return for off-spinner James Tredwell when he pushed at Tredwell's first ball and nicked to slip.

Derbyshire then lost five wickets in the mid-session, three of them to Tredwell who found plenty of first-day turn from the Pavilion End.

Cook took his second wicket when Dan Redfern (29) edged a push-drive to second slip then Rob Key fell forward at short leg to take a sharp bat-pad chance off Greg Smith (nought) to give Tredwell another victim.

Denmark-born Freddie Klokker (13) looked disappointed to be given out caught behind from a cramped pull shot to an Amjad Khan bouncer that made it 172 for six and at that point Kent had aspirations to be batting soon after tea.

Wavell Hinds had other ideas, however, and he tucked in lustily against Tredwell, hitting the England A spinner for four sixes on his way to a 65-ball 50 as Derbyshire raced to their first batting bonus point.

But 26 short of his century Hinds advanced down the pitch aiming to drive a fifth six off Tredwell only to nick high to slip where Justin Kemp took a reflex catch.

Graham Wagg (21) followed in identical fashion then, soon after tea, Tim Groenewald flashed hard at a short one from Wayne Parnell to be caught at the wicket and make it 233 for nine.

Kent's hopes of batting for the remaining 90 minutes of the day were ruined by Jones and Needham, who stuck it out for almost 19 overs in adding 70 and a third batting bonus point before Khan returned with the new ball to send Needham packing for a useful 20.