Kent skipper Sam Northeast hit his fourth century of the County Championship season on day two of Kent’s game with Sussex at Tunbridge Wells.

Despite an excellent 190 from the Kent skipper, a flat pitch offering little to the bowlers leaves the home side with plenty to do to try and force a result at the midpoint of this Specsavers County Championship Division Two encounter. The Kent bowlers toiled hard in the final session, after amassing a total of 575 all out, but could only pick up the one wicket as Sussex dug in and looked to keep themselves in the game, eventually reaching stumps on 69/1.

Earlier in the day, Northeast’s innings had brought about landmarks and achievements aplenty, as the 26-year-old fell just six runs short of becoming the first batsman in County Championship cricket this season to reach 1,000 runs.

He remains top of the run charts, however, having made three centuries in his last three Championship appearances, and currently boasting a rather healthy average of 99.40 in the current campaign.

With Northeast and Darren Stevens resuming Kent’s innings on 310/3 going into day two, the pair showed some early intent, with Stevens striking Danny Briggs for six over deep square leg early in the day. Two overs later, the all-rounder top-edged Briggs high into the air attempting the same shot, with the patient Will Beer taking an easy catch. Stevens was out for 63, with Kent 330/4 as Alex Blake joined his skipper at the crease.

Northeast and Blake guided Kent through the rest of the first hour of play together, picking up four batting points for their side in the process, all the while taking a drinks break on a increasingly hot day at The Nevill Ground – reported as being the hottest of the year so far.

Following a phase of play where Blake had taken the lions’ share of the strike, Northeast wasn’t to be denied, as he brought up his four century of the Championship season by pushing a two into the leg side.

As the hosts brought about four-hundred, Blake moved to a half-century of his own with a carbon-copy maximum into the temporary stand. Neither batsmen looked troubled as the session came to a close in glorious sunshine and duly saw it through to lunch, by which stage they had taken their side to 442/4.

Shortly after lunch Northeast ran two to bring up his one-thousandth run in First Class cricket this season and followed it with a four through the off-side to bring up 450 for the hosts. Blake was unable to push on in the afternoon session, however, trapped leg-before by Briggs for 61 with the score on 457/5. Northeast and Blake had put on a very healthy 127 partnership together, made in reasonable time on a flat but slow Tunbridge Wells wicket.

Plugging away, Northeast continued to accumulate runs and was ably supported by James Tredwell, promoted up the order to number seven following his century in Kent’s defeat to Essex. The spinner added 32 with Northeast before falling to a shot not too dissimilar to Joe Denly’s on day one, skying one to Luke Wells off the bowling of Briggs to fall for 18.

New man Callum Jackson and Northeast plundered runs during the afternoon session, although both found it challenging to get the ball away at times on a slow Nevill Ground outfield; Briggs having bowled forty-nine attritional overs

Northeast had surpassed seven thousand career first class runs, and was a single run short of equalling his career best when he finally fell. On 190, Steve Magoffin got a ball off a decent length to stop on the Kent captain, who could only loft it straight back to the bowler on his follow-through.

His magnificent innings brought hearty applause from the crowd, his final statistics showing him having faced 244 balls, and hit 13 fours and one six.

Jackson, already on his highest First Class score, was joined by Kagiso Rabada before the South African was bowled by Briggs for 6, while Mitch Claydon made 4 before being bowled by Magoffin.

Jackson was eventually the last man out for 38, caught and bowled by Briggs, to give the former Hampshire spinner a five-wicket haul, leaving Kent 575 all out as tea was taken.

Rabada and Stevens opened the bowling for Kent as they hunted for early breakthroughs, but they too found the going tough on a placid wicket.

With neither able to make a breakthrough, Northeast brought Claydon into the attack, and in a wicket-maiden opening over, he bowled Harry Finch for 3 with one that kept a little low.

Sussex were 29/1 after the fall of the wicket, and though Kent’s bowlers continued to plug away, chance were at a premium. Chris Nash (48*) and Luke Wells (7*) were able to steer their side to stumps on 69/1 without too many further alarms.

Kent have plenty on the board to play with as they seek to bowl out their visitors, perhaps with an eye to enforcing the follow-on and bowling them out twice over.

However on what looks a benign wicket to bowl on, and with conditions seemingly very favourable to batsmen, day three could prove challenging for Kent, not least with the mercury expected to hit a summer high!

Specsavers County Championship Division Two, Kent v Sussex at Tunbridge Wells, Jul 17-20 2016:

Stumps, day two: Sussex 69/1 trail Kent 575 (Northeast 190, Dickson 81, Denly 78, Stevens 63, Blake 61; Briggs 5-169) by 506 runs with nine first innings wickets remaining.

Full scorecard available here.

Kent: Dickson, Ball, Denly, Northeast*, Stevens, Blake, Tredwell, Jackson†, Rabada, Claydon, Qayyum

Sussex: Nash, Finch, Wells, Taylor, Wright*, Brown†, Jordan, Beer, Briggs, Magoffin, Whittingham

Pictures courtesy of Sarah Ansell Photography.