A truncated day saw 55 overs lost but Kent opener Robert Key negotiated his way to an unbeaten century shortly before the close having batted for 5 hours and 49 minutes at that stage.

His obdurate approach on a slow wicket proved fruitful as he took 255 deliveries to reach the milestone which saw him record just five boundaries.

Essex received immediate encouragement after their disastrous opening day performance when Justin Bishop removed David Fulton with the first ball of the morning with a delivery that swung in to hit off stump.

And four overs later, the left-arm paceman struck again when he had Ed Smith smartly caught by Darren Robinson with a two-handed diving catch.

An exciting cameo from Andrew Symonds entertained the sparse crowd before Ashley Cowan returned to the attack to have the Australian caught down the leg-side for 33, made from 38 balls, by wicket-keeper James Foster.

Key was joined by Matthew Walker in a stand worth 52 runs at lunch but heavy rain during the interval prevented the players returning until 5.25pm. The partnership added six more runs before Cowan induced a top-edged pull from Walker with his score on 18 to be caught at mid on.

Key though continued his sound application and enabled the 22-year-old to reach his third first-class century of the season shortly before further rain ended play for the day.

He will resume tomorrow to underpin his side's attempts to further build upon on their significant lead which currently stands at 146 with six first innings wickets still intact.

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