Neil Dexter has been a man on the sidelines at Kent this season, but he emerged from the shadows last night to prove to be the difference under the New Writtle Street lights.

Darren Stevens, with a competition-best four for 14 and a brilliant direct-hit run-out of the returning Ravi Bopara, claimed much of the glory later, as Essex’s reply self-destructed. But, in truth, Kent would have been out of the hunt before the halfway mark — despite Joe Denly’s bright start — if Dexter had not turned up just when he was most needed.

Dexter, playing only because of Robert Key’s hamstring injury, did not appear until the fall of the sixth wicket, after Kent had been put in on a pitch that seemed a little two-paced.

At 95 for six, with only five overs left, Kent were struggling for any sort of competitive total, but then Dexter burst into life after an unconvincing start against Danish Kaneria.

Adam Hollioake’s first three overs had cost only nine runs, as Essex expertly applied a mid-innings squeeze, but now Dexter struck him for three successive fours. His eventual 31 not out, from 18 balls, contained five fours and dragged Kent up to a total that they could defend.

Bopara, back as a batsman only, after the thigh strain that kept him out of England’s one-day squad, looked in superb touch as he breezed to 27. After that, though, Essex collapsed amid a series of ill-judged slogs.