Rookie medium pacer Phil Edwards grabbed two quick wickets to drag Kent back into contention on a truncated day two against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Only Rob Key was among the runs as the league leaders struggled to an under par 244 all out on day one but inspired by Edwards, the visitors got themselves back in contention on day two.

Answering the Spitfires' injury crisis Edwards, whose previous five Championship wickets came for Cambridge UCCE, produced swing and seam movement to remove Northants' overnight pair Niall O'Brien and Rob White in a fine spell of 15 for two.

With Amjad Khan, Ryan McLaren, Robbie Joseph and Martin Saggers sidelined the 25-year-old led the charge as Kent struck five times in a two-hour session, to reduce Northants to 143 for five at the close.

After being reduced to 56 for three, Riki Wessels' unbeaten 47 steadied the Northants ship but with the Kent spinners finding some turn the league leaders will be confident of ripping through home side's lower order tomorrow.

Six hours of steady rain prevented play until 4.30pm, leaving 32 overs in overcast conditions.

This presented a good opportunity for Kent's injury hit attack to strike back, after their last seven wickets had subsided meekly for only 74 runs on Tuesday afternoon.

Tall right armer Edwards was quickly into his stride, removing the dangerous White in the day's third over courtesy of a neat catch at first slip by Justin Kemp.

White had already found the off-side boundary twice, but his defensive push was beaten by Edwards' swing and bounce.

Former Middlesex paceman Simon Cook was relishing the chance to lead the Spitfires attack and found good pace and bounce from the normally docile Wantage Road surface to trouble the home batsmen.

However, it was Edwards who struck again in his third over, as Irish international keeper O'Brien edged into Kemp's safe hands.

Wessels and Alex Wakely built an eye-catching fourth wicket partnership peppered with fine strokes.

The South African clipped Edwards through mid-on for four before glancing Cook to the long leg boundary, causing Kent captain Key to introduce James Tredwell and Justin Kemp into the attack.

Tredwell found immediate bounce and turn from the Pavilion End, enabling his skipper to surround Wakely with four close catchers.

And the England Lions spinner duly struck when his skipper clung on to a diving catch at backward square leg when Wakely attempted a paddle sweep.

Encouraged by the help from the surface, Key threw the ball to slow left armer Rob Furley two overs before the close.

And he was immediately rewarded with the scalp of his opposite number, Nicky Boje, bowled through the gate driving.

Wessels survived to the close with fellow South African Andrew Hall for company but the home side will need one of them to make a big score tomorrow if Northants are to build a lead.