Daniel Bell-Drummond scored a career-best 271 not out as Kent dominated day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Northamptonshire on Monday.

Opener Tawanda Muyeye scored his maiden first-class hundred but was eclipsed by Bell-Drummond who beat his previous best of 206 not out against Loughborough University at Canterbury in 2016.

Bell-Drummond’s knock is the sixth highest first-class score for Kent and he will resume in the morning just four runs short of head coach Matt Walker’s 275 not out, made against Somerset in 1996.

The only other score higher than that since the 1930s was Sean Dickson’s 318 - also against Northants - at Beckenham in 2017.

Muyeye and Bell-Drummond added 318 for the second wicket as Kent reached 550-5 by the close, a lead of 313.

On what was a tough day for a weary-looking Northamptonshire attack, Alex Russell (2-137) and Ben Sanderson (2-87) emerged from the onslaught with two wickets apiece.

Bell-Drummond set the tone, on-driving the first ball of the day back past the stumps for four, but it wasn’t long before Muyeye took centre stage.

The 22-year-old showed his promise as a schoolboy at Eastbourne where he set records for the number of runs scored (1,112) and sixes hit (56) in his first season.

Muyeye picked up where he’d left off on day one, using the long levers of his tall slender frame to showcase an elegant technique mixed with power, dismissing a short one from Sanderson to the mid-wicket boundary before sending long hops from Jack White and Alex Russell to the square leg fence.

A single to deep cover took him beyond his previous career-best of 89 against Middlesex and there were no nervous 90s either, a huge six over mid-on taking him to the brink of that maiden hundred which duly came minutes later courtesy of another half-tracker pulled to the fence.

Bell-Drummond was less exuberant, but continued his rich vein of form, a 12th - albeit fortunate - four carrying him to three figures in a wicketless first session for the hosts.

The pair forged on after the interval, Muyeye plundering a third six, he’d only hit one in first-class cricket before today. The stand moved beyond 300 and the second-wicket record against Northamptonshire of 382 set by Dickson and Joe Denly looked in sight before the youngster mishit novice spinner Russell into the hands of Sanderson at cover for 179.

It was a poignant moment for Muyeye when he reached his maiden first-class ton.

“I didn’t get any sleep last night because it was only the second time in my career I’ve been not out overnight,” he said. “I went to my room at like 7pm hoping to get an early night, but only got to sleep about 3am. I was calmer on the field than in my bed last night.

“There was a message from my mum and I’m going to dedicate this hundred to my uncle who died of cancer three years ago. It was his tombstone unveiling on Saturday and I could feel his energy around today.

“I’m relieved (to get the maiden century). I didn’t know when it was going to come. Obviously I’ve had a few starts, a few 80s, so to put it all together today and be as focused as I was a big thing for me and something to be confident about for the future.

“I’m short of words about Daniel (Bell-Drummond. We had so much fun out there. I don’t know how much cricket was being talked about, but it is always a pleasure to bat with him.

“It was a pretty special knock, and I probably had the best seat in the house for most of it. It has been a tough year for him and a lot of the batters so I’m happy for him.

“For him to come and do that and display such skill was special. He’s got a few more to get tomorrow and hopefully he can get that triple and put us in an even better position.”

Such was the charm with which he’d played, that his departure took some of the sunshine out of the cricket, Denly and Jack Leaning falling cheaply either side of the second new ball, the latter to a sharply spinning delivery from Rob Keogh which bowled him through the gate.

Bell-Drummond though picked up the mantle, a glorious straight drive taking him past his previous Championship-best of 166. His first Championship double hundred complete with 20 fours came soon after tea, and a four through mid-wicket off White enabled him to chalk up the new career-best landmark.

Jordan Cox kept him company either side of tea with 41 off 39 balls in a stand of 106 in 18 overs before being bowled by the persevering Sanderson.

Bell-Drummond, however, batted through to stumps alongside Joey Evison (17 not out) and a triple century beckons on day three for the 29-year-old.