Harry Finch batted for five hours in recording a valiant century for Kent that defied Essex from claiming a LV= Insurance County Championship victory inside three days.

  The 28-year-old’s 114 at a strike-rate of exactly 50 was his first sortie into three-figures since he compiled one two years ago against his former county Sussex, and the fifth of a mercurial first-class career.

  Essex, looking for a fourth successive win to put pressure on Championship leaders Surrey, endured a frustrating day in the field as Finch led the way in partnerships of 93 and 72 with Ben Compton (39) and Joey Evison (56 not out) for the second and sixth wickets.

  Simon Harmer whirled away for 38 overs, taking three wickets for a parsimonious 64 runs, but it was not enough to prevent Kent taking the match into a fourth day and ensuring Essex will have to bat again, Kent finished the day on 265-7, 14 runs ahead with three wickets in hand.

  Essex had taken a wicket with the last ball of day two but had to wait until the 14th ball of the afternoon session on day three for the second. It needed a spectacular one-handed diving catch at leg gully by Harmer to end Ben Compton’s barnacle-like 122-ball innings after the Kent second wicket ate into Essex’s 251-run advantage on first innings.

  Until that breakthrough moment, it looked as if Compton and Finch had bedded in for the long haul, scoring just a solitary leg-bye during one 19-ball sequence of dot balls. Compton regularly thrust out a long left leg to repel Harmer to the extent that the offspinner conceded just 16 runs from his first 11 overs of the day before briefly relinquishing his occupancy at the River End.

  Finch, playing only his second Championship game of the season, was by far the more aggressive player in that second-wicket stand and reached his half-century from 105 balls. His second fifty was quicker, taking just 78 balls before raising his helmet to acknowledge the milestone.

  Jack Leaning adopted the Compton mantle, batting for 42 balls before one kept low from Harmer and trapped him lbw for six from a 35-run stand.

  The injured Jordan Cox emerged with Twanda Muyeye as his runner. However, the helper was not required to move on Cox’s behalf as the wicketkeeper was scoreless for 16 deliveries and remained motionless on his crease when Sam Cook appealed successfully for lbw.

  Essex might have broken the stubborn fifth-wicket resistence between Finch and Evison much earlier. Evison, on 10, received a double reprieve in the blink of an eye when dropped by wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who then missed the potential stumping as Evison overbalanced. It was a miss that was to prove costly.

  Essex tossed the new-ball to Harmer after just three overs and with his third ball he struck as Finch swept loosely to Paul Walter at short midwicket. Joe Denly, batting despite suffering back spasms, felt his side as he on-drove his first ball for four, but only lasted another six deliveries before he turned Harmer into Sir Alastair Cook’s hands at slip.

  Evison nudged a single to reach a 96-ball fifty before Grant Stewart hit consecutive boundaries to take Kent within a run of making Essex bat again, But he then tried to take them into the black with another boundary, but only picked out long-off to give Critchley a wicket.

Kent’s Harry Finch said: “We’re feeling pretty good. I thought we showed a lot of fight today. It was obviously disappointing to lose a couple of wickets in that last session, but overall that’s the sort of thing you’d ask for today: to come out and show some fight. We’ve got a lead now and hopefully we can get a bigger lead tomorrow morning.

  “The pitch is tricky. It’s starting to spin a bit more consistently now. They’ve got an unbelievable spinner in Harmer. Plus it’s nipping around a little bit as well. There was always a ball there that kept you honest.

  “I just wanted to keep it simple and play as straight as possible. My main thought was just to get off a pair. Luckily, I did that off the first ball of the day. I also got a nought in the first innings against Warwickshire last week, so I need to stop that trend. It makes the second innings a lot more nerve-racking.

  “My celebration was quite muted because if I’m honest I was quite focused on the whole day and trying to get us into a lead if possible. Now if feels great, but I think I probably left a few runs out there which is disappointing. You never know on this pitch, if you get a 150-run lead, something could happen.

  “Compo’s looked really good this game, back to his normal self. In the first innings he played brilliantly and today he looked as if he was going to be there right at the end. I think that’s the best catch I’ve ever seen [by Harmer to dismiss Compton], it was an incredible catch. And then Joey played brilliantly at the end there. It would have been nice if Joey and me had been there at the end but it wasn’t meant to be.

  “We want to try and get as many as we can tomorrow. If we were five down there at the end it’s a really different feeling tomorrow, but we’ve still got three wickets left and if we can get 100-plus runs you just never know. Hopefully the pitch falls apart a little bit. I think for us we just have to show the same fight we showed today and who knows what happens.”

Essex bowling coach Mick Lewis said: “We had to be patient but I thought we stuck at it  pretty good. We knew it wouldn’t be easy and they would fight and that’s exactly what they are doing.

  “I think the way we went about it today was excellent, we had our length and line right all day and the wickets we got in that last session puts us in a strong position.

  “I think we counted 25 plays and misses today so I am really happy with the boys. I’m delighted with the way we went about it today, we were aggressive in the way that we bowled and as a bowling coach, I couldn’t have asked for much more.

  “We just had to be patient and that’s one thing about this group, they are extremely patient and they know that if they put the ball in the right areas enough time, then they will create chances.

  “It helps having so many bowling options and that’s the beauty of having Paul Walter in the side, he’s a left-armer and offers something different.

  “Sometimes things go your way, sometimes not and think that Kent had a bit of the luck of the draw with then plays and misses but that’s the way it goes and I am extremely happy with the boys.

  “Hopefully the rain will stay away but we’ll be confident coming in tomorrow morning that we can get those remaining wickets early and chase down whatever they set us.”