SOMERSET claimed eight wickets inside 46 minutes to help thrash Kent by 10 wickets in Canterbury, and take a 26-point lead at the top of the Specsavers County Championship.

Rain looked set to put pay to the visitors' victory hopes, with the first and third days already washed out, and play only able to begin at 1.45pm on Thursday.

But once play was underway, Lewis Gregory - fresh off a first-innings career best of 6-32 - collected 5-21 as Kent's last eight wickets fell in the space of 62 balls, with only 27 runs added.

Jack Brooks removed night watchman Harry Podmore to start the rout - with Kent only ahead by two runs overall - and Gregory then took centre stage with three more, quick-fire wickets to secure only his second 10-wicket match haul in First Class cricket.

Jamie Overton chipped in with another wicket, then brother Craig Overton went one better by removing Darren Stevens and Grant Stewart in a double-wicket maiden.

Gregory finished off the hosts, having Ollie Robinson caught behind, and with Kent all out for 59, Somerset only needed to score 30 to win the match.

That they did, Azahar Ali (13no) and captain Tom Abell (15no) doing so within 40 balls.

The haul of 19 points takes Somerset onto 115 at the top of the Division 1 table, 26 clear of Hampshire on 89 (both after six matches).

Afterwards, Abell said: "We still felt there was plenty of time left in the game despite losing so much to rain and once again our bowling attack proved just how good they are.

“Lewis will take the plaudits for five today and 11 in the match, and rightly so, he was magnificent, but as a unit they work so well together and complement each other.

“I’m so lucky as a captain to have those four guys running in for me.

“It was difficult to bat out there for sure and games do take patterns and sometimes batters can simply get caught up in the pace of the game.

“It was tricky but we’d have liked a slightly bigger lead than 30, but it wasn’t to be.

“Within that total Tom Banton was phenomenal once again, to get 60 under those circumstances was outstanding for such a young player.

“Going into today, we felt it was game on, even though all results were still possible.

“The boys really took onus this morning and bowled fantastically well.

“To dismiss them for 59 was testament to that group.”