WARWICKSHIRE’S opening batsman Michael Powell clearly enjoys batting against Kent.

The Lancashire-born, England A tourist posted 61 and 110 against David Fulton’s men in Canterbury last September before promptly resigning the Warwickshire captaincy.

There was no post-innings controversy at Beckenham though, just diligent batting as the 29-year-old right-hander coasted to his 10th championship century in helping the unbeaten Frizzell Division 1 leaders to 334 for one at the mid-point of this rain-affected game.

Powell was still there at stumps, after batting all day for 112 and having featured in two century stands, while Jonathon Trott also went in at the close on a chance-less 97 not out and with power to add on day three.

After an opening day wash-out, the players arrived at Worsley Bridge Road to blues skies for the start of day two but a strong, gusting wind that sent rain clouds scudding overhead for much of the day.

There was one 18-minute break for a short, sharp shower, but otherwise Warwickshire made the most of a flat pitch while Kent’s attack struggled to cope with near the gale-force blasts.

After winning their seventh toss of nine championship starts Warwickshire, who were without their two injured overseas strike bowlers Heath Streak and Dewald Pretorius, not surprisingly elected to bat.

Kent may well have wanted to do likewise, which may go some way toward explaining their dilatory, almost disinterested day in the field.

With the wind at his back Kent members would have expected and hoped that Mohammad Sami, playing his last championship match of the summer before Asia Cup and Champions Trophy duty, would bowl with verve and spirit.

But sadly, this was a day when the Karachi Express derailed.

Sami struggled to find a good length or rhythm, he bowled 14 no balls and, to make matters considerably worse, became embroiled in a spat with umpire Peter Willey that led to an official warning for running on the pitch.

His 18-wicketless overs of the day cost 88 runs and, later in the day, persuaded skipper Fulton to give the new ball to Ben Trott and Martin Saggers

It was Saggers and Trott who carried the pace attack for the majority of the day and in these conditions it was a thankless task.

Saggers bowled his first 10 overs into the fierce wind that blunted his cutting edge, leaving Trott to claim the one and only wicket of the day.

Mark Wagh had batted a shade over three hours for his 86, which he scored mainly off his legs and through mid-on and mid-wicket, before Kent struck with 171 on the board and in the 49th over of the day.

Trott and Fulton set the trap by bringing Andrew Symonds in to leg gully, the most amazing thing was that Wagh fell for it by obligingly hooking a bouncer straight into the Queenslander’s huge mitts.

Powell, having been dropped on eight by Matt Walker at second slip, was then given a second chance by the same fielder with Powell’s score on 35 – he did not need a third invitation to fill his boots.

His half-century came from 143-balls, then the century, his first of the season in only his second championship start, from 263 balls as Kent were made to pay for their sins.

Fulton used six bowlers in a bid to break Powell and Trott’s second-wicket stand worth 163, but it was all to no avail.

Both home spinners, Min Patel and Alex Loudon, struggled to find a dangerous line or length bowling into the wind and even the second new ball struggled to inspire Trott and Saggers.

Having seen the opening day rained off and Warwickshire make the most of a ‘shirtfront’ pitch on day two, it is a fairly safe bet that the top two sides in the Division will go into the mid-summer Twenty20 break off the back of a championship draw here in Beckenham.

Warwickshire 334-1 after 100 overs of their first innings.