Kent will fancy their chances of completing victory over Middlesex at Lord's on the final day.

Skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond made 223 as Kent set the host a target of 365 to win in their County Championship Division 2 clash. Middlesex reached 81-3 by the close on Sunday evening.

“I felt in very good nick once I got going and I’m happy I could put Kent in quite a strong position,” said Bell-Drummond.

“Cricket is a funny game. I didn’t really feel that out of nick (despite a run of low scores) but I was finding ways 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 were massively important to the cause of the team. Joey Evison played nicely at the start of the day and got us going. Chris Benjamin batted brilliantly against the second new ball which wasn’t the easiest period. And Jamal Richards on debut showed a bit of class. It was a brilliant team effort.”

Kent had resumed day three on 226-4 with a lead of 117, Middlesex knew they needed early wickets to ensure a comfortable target to chase down.

Kent offered two chances in the first two full overs of the day. A defensive field saw only one slip in place for Dane Paterson when he encouraged an edge from Bell-Drummond that duly went through second slip for four.

In the next over, Joey Evison drove hard at Toby Roland-Jones but even the excellent Ryan Higgins was unable to hold on to a tremendously hard chance in the gully.

Evison was looking in good touch, hitting spinner Zafar Gohar for six, and had reached 35 by the time he was brilliantly caught and bowled by Henry Brookes. Evison drove hard but Brookes showed brilliant reactions to grab a tough chance at the second attempt. Kent were 272-5 and their lead was 163.

Bell-Drummond reached his 150 three balls before lunch when he square cut Ryan Higgins to the boundary for the 21st four of his innings.

Chris Benjamin had quietly advanced to 34 when Higgins got one to come back down the slope and through his defences 15 minutes after lunch, leaving Kent 346-6 with a lead of 237.

Jamal Richards got off a pair with a flick through leg side but was then dropped at second slip on four off Brookes. He put a testing opening day behind him by progressing to 43 before being harshly adjudged leg before to the spin of Gohar, having helped Kent extend their lead to 315.

Roland-Jones took the outside edge of Matt Parkinson's bat to remove him for four, seven runs later, but nothing seemed to rattle the concentration levels of Bell-Drummond, who went to tea unbeaten on 195 having scored just one boundary during the afternoon session.

Kent's lead was 327, a total many observers already felt was beyond Middlesex's potentially fragile batting line-up despite the weakened attack at Bell-Drummond's disposal.

Bell-Drummond nudged his way to a double hundred after tea, taking five singles without alarm to reach 200 from 342 balls. It was only the third double ton of his career, his previous efforts coming against Loughborough in 2016 and the 300 not out at Northants two summers ago.

George Garrett was bowled by the part-time spin of Luke Hollman for eight, the signal for Bell-Drummond to cut loose as he hit both spinners for sixes in consecutive overs. Middlesex skipper Roland-Jones introduced Brookes and he promptly got the same treatment as Bell-Drummond hooked him over deep square leg.

He went to the next ball, attempting another maximum to a short ball outside off, Bell-Drummond sent it only to Stephen Eskianzi at third man.

Bell-Drummond went for his second-highest Kent score of 223 off 360 balls with 23 fours and three sixes as Kent were all out for 473. More importantly, it meant Middlesex needed 365 to win with more than a day to spare.

Garrett went to the leg side boundary twice in his opening over but then produced a brilliant delivery to bowl Sam Robson for nine. The new-ball pair of Garrett and Kashif Ali deserved more for their efforts, although runs were hard to come by as the hosts added just eight runs in the next nine overs.

Boosted by his runs with the bat, the pacey Richards opened up with a testing maiden but Middlesex weathered the early storm and Max Holden and Eskinazi put on 53 before the former was bowled by Evison for a well-compiled 38.

Middlesex sent in Brookes as a nightwatchman but he departed for 10, another scalp for the talented Evison, to leave the hosts 74-3. Only a few hardy souls remained inside Lord's as play didn't finish until after 7pm in chilly conditions.