Max Holden hit an unbeaten 143 as Middlesex reached 319 for six on day two of their Rothesay County Championship at Canterbury, to trail by 97 at stumps.

Holden’s unbroken 160-run partnership with Zafar Gohar helped Middlesex avoid the follow on and Kent were left to rue a number of missed chances in the field, having reduced the visitors to 159 for six at one stage. Zafar was 62 not out at the close.

Earlier Seb Morgan took career-best figures of five for 104 as Kent were bowled out for 416.

The hosts began the second day on 356 for seven and Tom Helm took the first wicket, getting Matt Milnes caught behind for 18, before Morgan took his fifth when Keith Dudgeon swatted him to Leus du Plooy for 30.

That left Kent 14 short of a fourth bonus point and the chase for that went to the final ball of the 110th over. After four dots Matt Parkinson scrambled to the striker’s end, narrowly avoiding a run out. He then hit the sixth ball of Gohar’s over for six over midwicket, to loud cheers.

Parkinson finally went for a handy 13 when he edged Toby Roland-Jones to Helm, leaving Hasan Mahmud unbeaten on 22 on his home debut.

Milnes was unlucky not to get a wicket in his first over, and he did get Sam Robson lbw for one in his second.

Ben Geddes was his next victim, edging him to Grant Stewart at fourth slip and he nearly got a third before lunch when Stewart couldn’t hand on a one-handed chance from Max Holden.

Middlesex were on 32 for two at lunch and lost du Plooy for 14 in the second over after it.

Hasan Mahmud went round the wicket to the left-hander, who ill-advisedly left his third legitimately delivery and lost his off stump.

Hasan then sent Caleb Falconer’s off stump flying for nine and then produced a bouncer that hit Cracknell appeared to edge into his helmet. Ekansh Singh misjudged the chance at short leg and Cracknell and Holden put together Middlesex’s first serious partnership.

Holden clubbed Parkinson for six to reach 50 and although he was then put down by Dawkins at short leg, Parkinson removed Cracknell at the end of the same over when he had him caught by Dudgeon at first slip.

Morgan fell in near identical fashion for six, leaving Middlesex on 180 for six at tea, but Holden and Zafar swung the momentum completely in the final session.

Holden steered Hasan through long leg for four to reach three figures. Batting looked significantly easier and when a rare chance did arise, when Zafar misjudged Dudgeon, Ekansh hesitated at square leg.

A wide from Parkinson saw Middlesex to a second batting point four overs shortly before stumps.

Middlesex’s Max Holden said: “It was pleasing. There were a few tricky positions over the innings but we’re well aware it’s a good place to bat here and if we got a partnership going that we could get ourselves back in the game.

“Credit to Zaf there. He played exceptional innings and we managed to get a partnership going. Obviously there’s still work to do but we’re in a better position than we were in at various points throughout the day. He’s contributed runs pretty consistently and he’s got a habit of getting runs when we need him down the order so I was pretty confident in him.

“It’s obviously like any wicket, you get some challenging stuff with a new ball (but) if you get yourself in it’s always going to get fractionally easier and stuff so I’m pleased we could do the hard yards and, yeah, make it count.”

Kent’s Matt Parkinson said: “I think we’re still on top. Obviously, Zaf and Max have played well in that last session, but I think if you’d offered us, on day one to have them six down leading by, is it 100? I think we’d have taken it.

“We’ve just been actually speaking in the change room then and I think we actually had the worst of the pitch yesterday. The way the boys played was fantastic and for me and Hasan to sneak us up to 400 was nice, but I actually think from about the 25 over mark of our bowling innings, it did get flat, so to score 416 was fantastic.” 

(On hitting a six to bring up Kent’s fourth batting bonus point) “Yeah, it’s my first first-class sixer. Yeah, it’s a tough one. I messed up the over before and then I wasn’t sure whether Has knew. I tried to communicate that we had the over, but I think he just thought we just needed to get 400. So he started blocking it and I was like, oh God, we’re in trouble here. 

“But no, lucky to absolutely slog that last delivery. As you say, it came out the middle. You only needed to chip it over the infield and you cleared the rope. 

“Obviously, that last session could have gone better. There was a couple of decisions maybe could have gone for us, but on the whole, from where we were last year to now, if we’d have had a team six down after 75 overs at Canterbury, you’d be buzzing.”