Former Warwickshire pace bowler Graham Wagg revealed a talent for left-arm spin by returning figures of five for 83 as Derbyshire restricted Kent to 249 for eight on a rain-interrupted second day in Canterbury.

Wagg took three wickets with his medium-fast swing bowling before turning to spin to claim two more Kent scalps after lunch. Rain then washed out the day's final session with the hosts still 54 behind on first innings.

LV County Championship Division Two leaders Kent resumed handily placed on 49 for one in pursuit of Derbyshire's first-day total of 303, but Wagg got the ball to seam around in a morning session that saw Kent lose five wickets for 86.

Home skipper Rob Key (25) was first to fall to Wagg, following a leg-cutter that went across him and edging to keeper Freddie Klokker during the fifth over of the day.

Having offered a tough caught-and-bowled chance when on six, Martin van Jaarsveld eventually departed for 12 when he mistimed a drive against Wagg straight into the hands of Wavell Hinds at short extra cover.

Three overs later Darren Stevens followed a Tim Groenewald leg-cutter to edge to second slip, then Geraint Jones (23) followed suit when chasing a wide half-volley to give Groenewald two wickets in three balls.

Kent looked set to regroup through to the lunch interval as James Tredwell and Justin Kemp added 24 for the sixth wicket until, five balls before the scheduled break, Kemp jumped across his stumps aiming through mid-wicket only to be bowled around his legs by Wagg.

Fellow left-handers Tredwell and Ryan McLaren dug in after the interval to add 58 in 20 overs, but Wagg's decision to turn to spin proved decisive when McLaren, in playing back to Wagg's first slower ball, went leg before for 29 from 60 balls.

Wagg then had Wayne Parnell caught low down at mid-off by Steffan Jones and, at 197 for seven, leaders Kent were in real danger of conceding a hefty first-innings deficit.

But Tredwell (67 not out) dug in to reach his fourth championship half- century of the summer from 129 balls as he and Simon Cook (16no) added an unbroken 48 in 12 overs through to tea.

Rain arrived during the interval and persisted until 5pm when umpires Richard Illingworth and Steve Garratt eventually abandoned play for the day.