Glamorgan are 101/2 after being set a target of 554 at Cardiff

According to John Keats, the famous English poet, Autumn is the time for mists and mellow fruitfulness. For two of county cricket's senior statesmen, the past few days have been fruitful in the extreme as Somerset's Marcus Trescothick posted 153 yesterday at Taunton whilst at the SSE SWALEC, Kent's Rob Key - another batsman in the autumn of his playing career - has amassed over the past couple of days 211 runs for once out.


In fact, Key is set to add further to his already impressive tally this morning as Kent speed towards a declaration before setting Glamorgan a stiff target. The English county start the third day on 256/1 with Key unbeaten on 117* and his side already 358 runs to the good and eager for more in the day's first session. Craig Meschede and Michael Hogan shared the bowling duties with Joe Denly off-driving the former for the day's first boundary.


Key duly brought up the 140-run stand by pulling Meschede for four before the spin of Andrew Salter and Colin Ingram returned, with Denly off-driving the off-spinner before biffing the leg-spinner through mid-on and mid-wicket in successive balls. The flurry of fours continued as Key swept Salter to square-leg before reverse-sweeping him to third man as the lead exceeded the 400-mark and created a new second wicket record for Kent against Glamorgan exceeding the previous best by Trevor Ward and Neil Taylor at Maidstone in 1991.


Denly then drilled Ingram inside-out over extra cover for four before pulling a long-hop for four. He then completed his century from 162 balls by punching Salter off the back foot through extra cover - his fourteenth boundary - to see Kent to 324/1 whereupon Glamorgan took the new ball with Hogan and Wagg returning. Key duly reached his 150 from 249 balls but in completing the run he pulled up with a leg strain, and Daniel Bell-Drummond was summoned to act as the veteran's runner.


But three balls later, Key's stay at the crease ended as - with the total on 336 - he swatted Wagg to deep square-leg where James Kettleborough completed the catch. Sam Northeast joined Denly who continued to find the ropes as he clipped Hogan to mid-wicket. Northeast opened his account by off-driving Wagg for four before cover driving Hogan. Denly also pulled Wagg for four as the lead approached the 500-mark shortly before lunch

Having reached 396/2 at the interval, Kent continued batting after lunch for a further six overs against the left-arm spin of Graham Wagg and Andrew Salter's off-breaks. Joe Denly pulled Wagg for four before harpooning Salter over mid-wicket for another boundary. He then late cut Wagg for four before reaching his 150 by straight-driving Wagg, followed by a lofted off-drive for six. Sam Northeast also blasted a six over long-on to reach his half-century before Kent declared on 451/2 with Denly unbeaten on 161 and having completed 1,000 Championship runs this season.


James Kettleborough duly clipped the first ball from Matt Coles to fine-leg for four and one, but Jeremy Lawlor was bowled by the final ball of the opening over. With a heavy bank of cloud over the Stadium, Darren Stevens opened the bowling at the Cathedral Road End and extracted yet again some lavish lateral movement. Kettleborough drilled him through extra cover and mid-wicket for four, whilst David Lloyd also struck an early four, but in Coles' fourth over, he edged into the keeper's gloves as Glamorgan slipped to 23/2.


Colin Ingram began with a firm on-drive for four before Kettleborough clipped Coles to the ropes at mid-wicket. Ingram duly greeted the appearance of Matt Hunn into the attack by straight-driving and cover driving the young seamer. Ingram brought up the fifty by steering Stevens through the slip cordon before pulling Hunn to long-leg for another four.


Shortly before tea, Adam Riley's off-spin was introduced and in his first over, he was cover driven by Ingram. Kettleborough clipped Callum Haggett to square-leg for four to bring up the fifty stand, before cover-driving the all-rounder for another four. Ingram also edged Riley to third man before Kettleborough flicked the spinner to fine-leg. He then swatted Haggett over point for four before completing his fifty from 74 balls with a rasping cut against the spinner.

The light deteriorated during tea, and prevented the umpires from re-starting at 3.45pm. The officials - Alex Wharf and Martin Bodenham - monitored the situation but there was no significant improvement, and play was called off at 5.45pm.