KENT'S championship clash with Warwickshire finally got underway at 4pm after a series of inspections, plus and an apology from chief executive Dennis Amiss.

Though no rain fell at the Birmingham Test venue on day three, the run-ups remained sodden from Thursday's deluge leading to the loss of 64 overs.

Amiss said: "The run ups were totally under water from yesterday's flood and our skipper Nick Knight was reluctant to play for fear of injury to his bowlers. "I can sympathise with the frustrations of our supporters, but there have been no complaints from Kent."

When play did start, Kent moved their overnight score of 135 without loss to reach 167 with Ed Smith on 89 and David Fulton on 74.