Adam Lyth continued his stunning start to the new season with a second century in as many matches, while Joe Root followed him to three figures as Yorkshire moved to within sight of an LV= Insurance County Championship victory against Kent during the third day at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.
Yorkshire set Kent a target of 445 inside the final hour of a day which saw play paused between 2.50pm and 4.10pm so as not to coincide with the funeral of HRH Prince Philip.
After the White Rose declared on 330-5, Kent then closed on 33-2 from 12 overs.
Opener Lyth posted 116 off 169 balls, and his tally of 380 runs means he is the leading run-scorer in a competition which is only two weeks old.
Test captain Root also reached an expertly measured 101 off 139 balls shortly before Steve Patterson brought the White Rose innings to a close.
Before the declaration, Harry Brook hit a highly entertaining 66 not out off 57 balls, including 10 fours and a six.
In all cricket this summer – both Championship and friendlies – Lyth has reached 50 in six innings out of six. His four Championship innings have yielded scores of 52, 115 not out, 97 and this 116.
His 115 came in the second innings of last weekend’s draw with Glamorgan at Emerald Headingley and the 97 in the first innings here.
Lyth, 33-years-old, started the day unbeaten on six and reached his 26th career first-class century minutes before play paused at 2.50pm, off 142 balls with 13 fours.
On an attritional pitch, the left-hander drove well again, as he did in the first innings.
He celebrated his latest milestone by leaping, punching the air and letting out a huge roar.
Having only scored two first-class centuries from the end of June 2017 until the start of this season, you could understand his delight at making the most of this run of form.
Yorkshire lost their two Toms, Kohler-Cadmore and Loten, before lunch in advancing from 6-0 (a lead of 120) overnight.
Kohler-Cadmore edged Grant Stewart’s seam to first slip, falling for three, as the visitors slipped to 24-1 in the sixth over – the fourth of the day.
Loten made 21 before he was trapped lbw by Matt Milnes inside the final 15 minutes of the morning, leaving the score at 99-2 in the 27th over.
Lyth and Root – 35 not out – then batted through the shortened afternoon, with the White Rose progress to 171-2 and a lead of 285 nothing more than steady.
The evening started with 43 overs still to be bowled, and the first moments of note came when Lyth and Root’s century partnership came at 199-2. When Root reached 50 off 84 balls, shortly afterwards, Yorkshire were 197-2 in the 55th over with a lead of 311.
Lyth then fell at the start of the 59th over when he drove Milnes to cover, ending a stand of 119 with Root and leaving the score at 218-3.
Root and Brook shared 96 inside 16 overs as the search for runs gathered pace, the latter particularly inventive and destructive in equal measure.
Root’s hundred follows scores of 16, 13 and 11 in three Championship innings this summer.
After settling during the afternoon and early into the evening, he was much busier at the crease as he closed in on his eighth first-class century for Yorkshire.
He fell the ball after reaching his hundred, bowled by the leg-spin of Joe Denly, who also bowled Jordan Thompson to bring about the declaration.
David Willey then bowled Jordan Cox with an in-swinging yorker inside three overs of the Kent chase to give the visitors the ideal start before Thompson got England Test batsman Zak Crawley caught at second slip by Lyth in the day’s penultimate over – 33-2.
