Sussex v Kent: Sam Northeast smashes an unbeaten 173 to put the away side on top

Kent captain Sam Northeast ended the day 27 runs short of a maiden first-class double-century

Sam Northeast smashed an unbeaten 173 to put Kent in a strong position versus Sussex before bad light stopped play.

The Kent captain put on a superb batting display, hitting 20 fours and four sixes in his 181-ball innings to move Kent's lead from 95 to 426 runs.

He was well supported by Sean Dickson (89) and Darren Stevens (71 not out) as the away side scored at over four runs per over to set up the chance of a win.

Bad light stopped play at 16:40 BST, leaving Sussex a difficult final day.

Kent began the day on 82-2 with a narrow lead of 95 and after they lost nightwatchman James Tredwell, Dickson and Northeast put on a 123-run partnership to take charge of the match.

Dickson was trapped lbw by Ajmal Shahzad (3-96) and Will Gidman went cheaply, but Stevens and Northeast pressed the accelerator with powerful strokes to turn the screw on Sussex before poor light saw play finally abandoned at 18:00 BST.

With no rain forecast for day four, Sussex's batsmen will face a battle to draw the match, while Kent require 10 wickets to complete a second Division Two win of the season.