Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram combined to give Glamorgan an ascending position on day two before Kent frustrated the bowlers in the beginning of their second innings.

Kellaway, who struck a mammoth 181 not out maiden century in the reverse fixture, gave fears of déjà vu with 90, together with Ingram’s 87 to combine for a 174-run partnership resuming from overnight.

Glamorgan finished on 327, damage limited by Matt Parkinson taking 4 for 103 to grind his way through the Glamorgan lower order after Wes Agar claimed four wickets to handle the top order on day one.

Ben Compton led in the visitors’ controlled reply of 106 for 1. The opener closed in on 1,000 runs for the season – needing a further 33 to pass the milestone in a race to be the first to do so this season.

Ingram and Kellaway continued to rebuild from their 47-run partnership yesterday as Glamorgan sat in the ambiguous position of 125 for 4 after rolling Kent for 155 on day one.

The engine room of Glamorgan’s leading run-scoring pair tormented the rotating Kent bowlers with the aging Kookaburra ball. If the partnership was able to build overnight after a period of bowlers dominating, with the day starting 42 overs in Glamorgan’s innings, the lack of movement created an opportunity to set up an unassailable lead.

A life early in the day when a top edged slog sweep landed in no-man’s-land from Kellaway was the only moment until lunch where Kent thought they had a glimmer of hope. The fifties came, as did the century partnership with hardly any notice.

The wicketless session looked inevitable until Ingram was disappointed when given out caught at slip, questioning a bump ball at 12.59pm to give Kent something to be able to enjoy their lunch at 250 for 5.

Almost as if Kellaway was lost at the crease without his 40-year-old newly appointed white-ball assistant coach, uncertain shots began to creep in before being drawn into the flighted ball to drive directly to cover in the start of Parkinson’s terrorising the lower-middle order.

Ned Leonard added a flurry with two straight sixes on Glamorgan’s way past a second batting point to be the only difference from the two sides’ tails. The 25 from the number ten recovering the hosts after losing four wickets for 24 prior to the 45-run coming together with a stubborn Chris Cooke for the ninth wicket.

As they did in the first innings, Jadyn Denly and Compton looked unphased against the new ball. Asitha Fernando and Timm van der Gugten unable to find their line before the latter walked off mid-over through injury.

Kellaway added control as the only frontline spinner in the side – Mason Crane was sent to play in the seconds, where he took 11 wickets in the match, a decision Glamorgan could come to rue.

James Harris found some reverse swing after tea and enjoyed a threatening spell against the left-handers which ended in only economical rewards. The unseen reward for Harris in the wickets column may just have been what brought Kellaway’s however; Denly playing out of frustration after a positive start, top-edging a slog sweep.

The newly formed pair had no concerns in closing down the deficit and leading momentum through to day three.