Darren Stevens continued his bid for a new Kent contract with a quite remarkable career best 237 to help steer the visitors out of early trouble at 39 for five on day one against Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley.

Kent’s top order, including South Africa captain Francois du Plessis, was shattered by the pace of Duanne Olivier with the new ball at the start of this battle for third place in the Specsavers County Championship Division One.

A Test team-mate of du Plessis’ up until the start of the year, Olivier struck four times in a seven-over burst, only for Kent to close on 482 for eight from 96 overs.

Stevens, aged 43, united with captain and fellow centurion Sam Billings, sharing 346 inside 65 overs from mid-morning to mid-evening to change the complexion of this fixture in record-breaking fashion with 28 fours and nine sixes in 225 balls. 

Billings, 138 off 209, justified his own decision to first of all opt for a toss and then elect to bat with his second successive century of the summer in his third four-day game.

Belligerent Stevens was told in July that Kent would not be offering him a new contract after 15 years with them.

But last week they hinted at a u-turn following 10 wickets in the match and a first-innings 88 in the win over Nottinghamshire. 

This was his first 100 plus score since May 2017.

Yorkshire made a racing start courtesy of their marquee signing last winter, Olivier, in conditions which were good for batting but helpful for bowlers at 10.30am.

He picked up the prized wicket of former colleague du Plessis, debuting for Kent in red ball cricket after a short spell in T20 cricket last month.

Du Plessis, warming up for a Test series in India next month, was bowled through the gate by an in-ducker as the score fell to eight for three in the fifth over.

Earlier, in the third, Oliver trapped Zak Crawley lbw and had Ollie Robinson caught behind as both men attempted to leave alone.

Olivier’s fourth wicket – another compatriot Heino Kuhn, trapped lbw playing forwards – came after Daniel Bell-Drummond lost his off stump to one which kept low from Matthew Fisher in the eighth over (22 for four).

From there, Billings, who reached his hundred off 157 balls, and Stevens steadied the ship confidently, with the latter particularly positive as confidence grew.

He successfully hit over the top on the off-side on a couple of occasions before launching New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel (one for 119 from 15 overs on debut) for a straight six to reach a 59-ball fifty in the final over before lunch.

Stevens also clipped Steve Patterson for six over mid-wicket shortly after lunch and hit Patel for another in the same area on the way to a 129-ball century.

Not without luck, he went from 51 to 191 in an afternoon session which yielded 204 runs in 36 overs. He offered a number of difficult chances, although on 149 offered an easy chance to Olivier off Fisher at mid-on.

The majority of Stevens’ sixes came off Patel before holing out to the Kiwi (385 for six in the 75th over).

The Stevens and Billings alliance was a Kent record sixth-wicket partnership and the highest ever for that wicket on this ground. It was also the highest partnership for any wicket in Championship cricket this season.

Billings was caught in the gully off Olivier (five for 108 from 24) late in the day, while Fisher also struck again.

Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale 

“The first half hour was very good, but from then on in it was poor – very poor. 

“Fair play to Stevo, he played well. We just bowled both sides at him and couldn’t create any pressure.

“We know what works at Headingley, top of off-stump for long periods of time. We just couldn’t do that.

“The energy in the field was also poor, dropped catches in mid-afternoon. We’re lucky they haven’t got 700 on the board at the end of play there.

“That was well, well below par from the standards we set ourselves. 

“We’ve got to come back in the morning, bowl them out and bat well. It’s as simple as that. 

“Duanne bowled nicely early on. To have them 39 for five after they elected to bat, you’re thinking, ‘Can we bowl them out for under 150 and kill the game early on?’ That was what we didn’t manage to do last week (at Somerset).

“From 11am onwards, we haven’t managed to build any pressure. When you’re slightly off against a player like that, he will crucify you.

“We have to bat well. It will do a bit with the new ball, but it’s not a quick pitch. It’s slow and didn’t do that much. We have to get stuck in and show some grit and determination. If lads get an opportunity to get in, they’ve got to go big.”

Kent’s Darren Stevens

“The big thing was we were in trouble at 39-5 with myself and Sam (Billings) on nought. 

“It was a tough situation, but at 10.30am at Headingley it’s going to nibble around a bit.

“When I came in, I just said, ‘I’m going to be positive – run hard, try and get off strike, tick it over’. That was it really. We were in serious strife.

“My intent was up. Any bit of width or anything full, I was putting my hands through it. 

“I don’t know what else to say really. 

“When you’re in situations like that, it’s a case of, ‘Let’s try and get to 150, to 180, then to 200’. But it kept going.

(His previous best of 208 is on his Twitter handle) “I’m going to have to change it, but I’ll deal with that in time. 

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s just the situation of the game. They’re a good bowling line-up, and we were 39 for five. We’ve done our job to get us in a good position.

“There could be a case for declaring (overnight) because it’s nipped around in the morning, but I reckon we’ll keep batting.

“I’m loving playing and want to play for another year. My body’s good, I’m bowling my overs and getting my runs now, and I want to keep playing. Yes, it will come to an end, but at the minute it’s not that time. I’d love to stay. I don’t want to move away from Kent. Let’s see.”