Kent captain Sam Northeast hit his first century of the season on day two of his side’s County Championship game against Gloucestershire at Canterbury.

Coming to the crease with Kent in trouble at 6/2, 26-year-old captain Northeast put his side into the ascendency, adding 204 with Tom Latham, and reaching 154 not out by the time play ended three overs short of the close due to bad light.

Overseas opening bat Latham fell for 90 after making his third half-century in as many innings since joining Kent, while Alex Blake also made an unbeaten 45, as just four wickets fell on the day at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

Earlier on in the day, things had not looked quite so positive for Kent. With Gloucestershire resuming on 296/9, their last wicket pair of David Payne (46 not out) and Josh Shaw (17) frustrated Kent early on in the morning session, eventually being bowled out for 337. The pair added 44 for the final wicket before Calum Haggett had Shaw caught down the leg-side. In doing so, all-rounder Haggett picked up his third wicket, with Darren Stevens and Mitch Claydon also each taking three in the innings.

Kent’s reply also got off to a far-from-ideal start, with in-form Daniel Bell-Drummond falling with just the third ball of the innings; unluckily so when he defended a delivery from Payne which rolled back onto his stumps before he was able to flick the ball away.

He was out for a duck, as was Joe Denly, who was bowled by an excellent Payne delivery in the left-armer’s next over, leaving Kent in a spot of bother at 6/2.

Northeast joined Latham at the crease and the pair immediately began to rebuild, first seeing Kent through to lunch at 47/2, before playing out the entirety of the afternoon session unbeaten, reaching the tea interval on 198/2.

Latham reached his half-century in the afternoon session – his third in three innings since joining Kent; the 24-year-old New Zealand international looking immediately at home at the top of the order.

Northeast went to his hundred shortly before the tea break; the Ashford-born skipper making his first three-figure score since taking on the captaincy full-time before the start of the 2016 campaign. He reached the milestone from 147 balls, including a solitary six which had brought up the 150 partnership between he and Latham.

That partnership had just passed 200 when Gloucestershire made their breakthrough in the evening session. Latham fell to fellow New Zealander Kieran Noema-Barnett, who took a sharp caught and bowled chance to remove his countryman for 90.

The 204 that Latham and Northeast added together put Kent in the driving seat at the midway stage of the Division Two match, and also broke the record for the county’s highest third wicket partnership for Kent against Gloucestershire at Canterbury, beating the 197 set by Alan Wells and Trevor Ward in 1997.

Latham’s wicket would be the last to fall in the day, as Alex Blake joined his skipper Northeast at the crease, with the pair continuing to cut down the arrears before the close.

Blake had reached 45 when the players left the field shortly after 6pm, by which point Northeast had moved to 154, only 22 away from his highest ever First Class score.

The pair will resume tomorrow with the score on 304/3, and Kent trailing Gloucestershire by just 33 runs going into the third day.

“We’re in a very good place, so we’re hoping the bad weather forecast for Tuesday stays away and that we can bat on, get 200 to 300 ahead and have a real crack at winning,” said Northeast at the close.

“The pitch has got better and better. There’s a little bit in it with the new ball, but there’s not a lot of turn at all. I’m pleased with my form and the quality of the pitches this year has helped too.”

 

Stumps, day two, Kent v Gloucestershire at Canterbury, May 8-11 2016:

Kent 304/3 (Northeast 154 not out, Latham 90; Payne 2-48) trail Gloucestershire 337 (Marshall 112, Taylor 52; Haggett 3-66) by 33 runs

Kent: Bell-Drummond, Latham, Denly, Northeast*, Blake, Stevens, Rouse†, Haggett, Claydon, Riley, Hunn

Gloucestershire: Bancroft, Dent, Cockbain, Roderick*†, Marshall, Hankins, Noema-Barnett, Taylor, Miles, Payne, Shaw

Points: Kent 6*, Gloucestershire 4*

Full scorecard available here.