Kent were held to a draw by fellow LV= County Championship Division Two strugglers Leicestershire despite final-day hundreds for Rob Key and Brendan Nash as well as a stunning 58-ball 97 by Darren Stevens.
Kent declared on 353 for three for a first-innings lead of 167 and then claimed the early scalp of Niall O'Brien to give themselves hope of victory in a match that saw almost a day and a half lost to rain at Tunbridge Wells
However, Leicestershire suffered no further alarms as second-wicket pair Greg Smith and Ned Eckersley made the game safe with an unbroken stand of 128 in the remaining 46.4 overs, both players contributing 65.
The players shook hands on a draw at 5pm with 14.2 overs of the game remaining, leaving Kent with 10 points to Leicestershire's four.
Hosts Kent had galloped along at almost 10 an over in the morning session in a bid to secure a reasonable first-innings advantage, while leaving themselves sufficient time to potentially dismiss the visitors for a second time.
As it was, a flat pitch at The Nevill Ground had the final say as Leicestershire had few problems in batting out the final afternoon in order to secure their sixth draw of the season.
For winless Kent, it was a fourth stalemate that keeps then rooted to the foot of the Division Two table.
After resuming on 159 for one, Kent took the game by its horns in the morning session as Key and Nash extended their second wicket stand to 190 from 55.1 overs.
Key was first to three figures from 181 balls, with six fours, for the 48th hundred of his first-class career. It was his 43rd ton for Kent.
He fell soon after, caught at long-on for 106 when attempting a leg-side clip against off-spinner Jigar Naik.
In the pursuit of quick runs, the hosts promoted former Leicestershire all-rounder Stevens up to four and it was a move that reaped rich and attractive rewards as the right-hander went within three runs of posting the fastest hundred of the season.
Stevens, who spent the winter playing Twenty20 in the Bangladesh Premier League for Dhaka Gladiators, blasted seven sixes and eight fours in a spectacular stand of 149 in 16.2 overs with Nash.
Nash brought up his hundred from 186 balls and went on to strike two sixes in an over from Shiv Thakor that went for 27.
Stevens was on the cusp of hitting a rare hundred before lunch when, in attempting a paddle sweep to fine leg, he was bowled around his legs by Naik to prompt Kent's declaration.
Leicestershire lost opener O'Brien to a catch in the slip cordon on six, but Smith and Eckersley held firm thereafter.