Daniel Bell-Drummond’s second highest score in first-class cricket allowed Kent to take charge of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with Middlesex on day three at Lord’s.
The 31-year-old Kent skipper, took his overnight 103 not out to 223 as the visitors piled up 473 all out.
Jamal Richards (43), Joey Evison (35) and Chris Benjamin (34) all shared half-century stands with the right-hander as the Middlesex bowlers were ground into the dirt, Toby-Roland-Jones taking 3-107 for match figures of 8-140.
Left to better a record fourth innings winning score against Kent harping back more than 100 years to the days of the legendary Patsy Hendren, Middlesex stumbled to 81-3 at stumps, two wickets for Joey Evison.
With the visitors already 117 ahead, Middlesex needed early wickets and they weren’t without opportunities. After edging a four to the vacant third, Bell-Drummond was rapped on the pad by Dane Paterson, moving swiftly leg-side of the wicket as the home side’s pleads for lbw were not upheld.
If that was unlucky Middlesex’s next wound was self-inflicted, Ryan Higgins failing to cling on to Evison’s slash to gully before the batter had added to his overnight score. The drop proved costly as by the time Henry Brookes held a caught and bowled at the second grab, the all-rounder, helped by a towering six back over the head of spinner Zafar Gohar had added 62 with Bell-Drummond.
Any hope the new ball would bring further reward soon evaporated, a Bell-Drummond edge wide of a diving second slip the closest they came to another breakthrough.
That scare survived Bell-Drummond, whose highest first class score of 300 not out came two summers ago against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, crunched a lovely on-drive to the fence at mid-on before his 21st four, a cut behind point took him past 150 on the stroke of lunch.
Upon the resumption, Bell-Drummond was becalmed, only adding a single boundary in the afternoon session. Wicketkeeper Benjamin though played positively, four boundaries helping him to 34 out of a stand of 74 before Higgins snuck one between bat and pad to trim the bails.
Debutant Richards came out on a pair and was given a life on four, Ben Geddes failing to cling on the a low catch at second slip.
As with Evison earlier, Richards made Middlesex pay, a thunderous straight drive the pick of his five fours in an entertaining 43 ended when he was harshly adjudged leg before to a ball from Gohar which appeared to strike him outside leg stump.
Bell-Drummond continued on, marshalling the tail, to the point of refusing singles to protect Garrett, even though the lead was beyond 300.
A tickled single to square leg took him to 200, after which he smote three huge sixes before being last man out caught at third.
The target of 365 was exactly 50 more than Middlesex’s previous best successful fourth- innings chase against the men from the Garden of England, a total of 315-5 made at Lord’s in 1921.
The gargantuan task was made more difficult when Sam Robson was bowled by a beauty from Garrett with only nine on the board.
Max Holden flourished briefly in a stand of 53 for the second wicket with the obdurate Stephen Eskinazi, but Evison flattened his off-stump, before having nightwatchman Brookes caught a slip by Crawley to leave the hosts in the mire.
Middlesex bowling coach Tim Murtagh said: “It is difficult to work it all out. The ball went past the bat all day and it felt like there was always something in the wicket for us, but no doubt looking at the state of the game it is a tough one and not where we wanted to be, especially after a really good first day.
“It is the sign of a good team when you get yourself into a position to really nail it and we haven’t done that in this game. We got ourselves into a really good position bowling them out on the first day. A good team would then go on and get 300 and be in a far better position to then bowl far better than we have throughout that second innings.
“How we bowled in the first innings, that is our kind of blueprint, but that didn’t quite happen in the second innings. There isn’t on specific thing that leads us to be in the position we’re in. Full credit for the way they batted. The ball went past the bat, but they put that out of their mind and focused on the next one, which we have to do tomorrow.
“We are where we are. There is still life in this match as long as we’ve got batsman out there we will scrap as hard as we can.”
Kent’s double century maker Daniel Bell-Drummond said: “It was a lot of fun today and yesterday as well.
“I was grateful I was able to cash in. I felt in very good nick once I got going and happy I could put Kent in quite a strong position.
“Cricket is a funny game. I didn’t really feel that out of nick (despite a run of low scores) but I was finding way to get out and then games go on without scoring many, but I was pretty confident in myself.
“I wouldn’t say I rode my luck, but there was enough there with the ball so I was glad my technique stood up.
“The partnerships with Joey (Evison), Chris (Benjamin) and Jamal (Richards) were massively important to the cause of the team. Evison played nicely at the start of the day and got us going. Benjamin batted brilliantly against the second new ball which wasn’t the easiest period. And Jamal on debut showed a bit of class. It was a brilliant team effort.”