Steffan Jones claimed the last three Kent wickets for figures of 5-53 as Somerset completed a 246-run LV County Championship victory over Kent at Taunton.

The Welshman went very close to a hat-trick, dismissing Ryan McLaren and Robbie Joseph with successive balls and then having a loud lbw shout against Martin Saggers rejected.

Kent, who had resumed on 163-6, were again without skipper Robert Key, at home following the birth of his second child, so the game ended with their total 216-9.

Somerset skipper Justin Langer told somersetcountycc.co.uk: "It was an excellent all-round team performance. The bowlers have been brilliant for us all season and we left a bit more live grass on this pitch so it gave them some assistance.

"I think we had seven half-centuries in the match, which I prefer to one batsman making a big hundred. Everyone chipped in and it was good to finish things off quickly today.

"I thought Kent were pretty negative throughout. Our bowlers hit the deck harder than theirs did and that was an important difference."

Somerset needed just 45 minutes to wrap up victory and move to the top of the Championship First Division. Whether they stayed there depended on the outcome of Durham's game with Surrey.

The home side took a maximum 22 points to Kent's four. It was their third Championship win since gaining promotion last season.

Geraint Jones and Ryan McLaren took the total past 200 with some attractive strokes before Jones had McLaren well caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter, diving to his left, for 23.

The next delivery saw Robbie Joseph's stumps scattered as he played all around it, while an inside edge saved Saggers as the hat-trick ball smacked into his pads right in front of his stumps.

Jones reached his side's first half-century of the match off 113 balls, with 5 fours and 3 sixes, two of them blasted straight back over Ian Blackwell's head.

But the end was nigh and it came when Saggers could only fend a short ball from Jones to James Hildreth at gully.

The Welshman's figures were his best of the season, beating the 5-63 he took also against Kent at Tunbridge Wells. His match figures were 8-121.

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