Glam wilt in the heat.

Darren Stevens' career-best 173 not out put Frizzell County Championship title contenders Kent in charge as Glamorgan wilted in the heat at Canterbury.

The hosts appeared intent throughout on scoring at a good rate to offset any threat of rain later this week and avoid being robbed of an opportunity to leapfrog leaders Nottinghamshire at the top of the table.

After captain Dave Fulton had won a handy toss, they were indebted to Stevens - as well as Andrew Hall (101 not out) - who upped the ante in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 204.

It helped the hosts to 437 for five, which by stumps on day one had reduced Notts' advantage to just half-a-point.

Former Leicestershire star Stevens became the 17th batsman to have posted a first-innings hundred against Glamorgan in a sorry season which has also seen all but one of their championship opponents better 400 against them at the first time of asking.

Stevens' only aberration was a faulty chip back to slow left-armer Dean Cosker which resulted in a dropped return catch when he had made 72.

Kent's day had earlier faltered from a promising start when Fulton fell to an attempted drive and edge behind at a wide ball from teenager Huw Waters, and Robert Key lost off and middle stump to an Alex Wharf yorker after posting his 1,000th championship run of the summer.

That left Martin van Jaarsveld and Matthew Walker to try to put Kent back on an even keel - and they had helped their team almost into three figures by the time the left-hander mis-read the line and was bowled off stump by a full-length delivery from David Harrison.

Van Jaarsveld fell in the second over of the afternoon when a bottom edge on an innocuous ball from Wharf cannoned back to dislodge the off bail.

Justin Kemp helped Stevens add 101 in only 21 overs and was working up to a destructive innings only to be cut short when he was lbw sweeping at Cosker.

But then Stevens and Hall took centre stage to end any hopes Glamorgan had of making further inroads.