LANCASHIRE’S bid to beat Kent at Emirates Old Trafford and start 2015 in the perfect way with a second successive LV= County Championship win is in danger of being scuppered by the weather.

The Red Rose county forced the Canterbury side to follow-on before lunch during yesterday’s third day as they replied to 444.

Kyle Jarvis completed a first-innings haul of 4-50 with one of the three wickets to fall within 16 overs as Kent advanced from 214-7 overnight to 252 all out, a deficit of 192.

Kent then reached 148-3 from 56 overs in their much improved second innings, but a near two-hour rain delay from 4.30pm gave Rob Key’s men a significant boost.

Kent will begin today with seven wickets remaining and a deficit of 44 runs in good batting conditions.

Brendan Nash and first-innings half-centurion Sam Northeast are the not out batsmen, and Lancashire could do with a dry fourth day in order to push for a 23-point haul.

Peter Siddle struck first yesterday morning when Mitch Claydon steered a short ball to gully before Jarvis had Northeast hooking a bouncer to fine-leg for 55.

Simon Kerrigan wrapped up the visitors’ first innings when he had Adam Riley caught at first slip.

Lancashire had to wait 15 overs for the breakthrough in Kent’s second innings, which came after lunch when Daniel Bell-Drummond was caught behind off Jordan Clark, leaving the score at 39-1.

Experienced second-wicket pair Key and Joe Denly, who has top-scored so far with 60, held Lancashire up during the afternoon with a partnership of 72 inside 20 overs.

Siddle broke that by uprooting Key’s middle stump before Jarvis nipped one back to trap Denly lbw after tea with the score on 128 in the 47th over.

Meanwhile, Lancashire have announced a profit of £793,000 for the year ended 2014.

The club have pointed to successful England Test and one-day matches against India and Sri Lanka as one reason for the successful result, with another being a 67 per cent increase on attendances for NatWest T20 Blast matches.

Off the field, Lancashire saw its conference and events revenue rise by nearly 10 per cent to £3.57m, whilst the Old Trafford Lodge generated record revenues of £1,067,000.

The club are hopeful of another successful year in 2015 with them hosting England limited overs fixtures against World Cup finalists Australia and New Zealand this summer.