Lancashire 402 for 4 (Bohannon 182, Wells 150, Swanepoel 2-61) lead Kent 244 (Muyeye 59, Compton 55) by 158 runs
Josh Bohannon and Luke Wells forged a record partnership of 312 runs, overwhelming Kent on the second day of their Vitality County Championship match at Canterbury.
Bohannon remained unbeaten on 182, while Wells scored exactly 150, helping Lancashire close at 402 for 4, giving them a first-innings lead of 158. Lancashire managed to bat through two complete sessions without losing a wicket, before Kent took a few wickets after tea. Beyers Swanepoel had the best bowling figures for Kent with 2 for 61.
The attendance for the second day of the Canterbury Festival swelled to 3,414, including around 1,600 schoolchildren from 44 schools, as part of a county initiative. The young spectators witnessed a challenging first session for Kent, as Wells and Bohannon dominated their inexperienced bowling attack.
Lancashire resumed their innings at 38 for 1, with the closest Kent came to a breakthrough being when Wells lofted O'Riordan to mid-off, where Jas Singh failed to secure the catch.
Matt Parkinson, Kent's only bowler with international experience, was introduced only in the final over of the morning, by which time Lancashire had already taken control of the game. The score at lunch was 168 for 1, after which Bohannon and Wells raced to their centuries. Bohannon reached his milestone by cutting George Garrett for four through backward point, while Wells achieved his in a less satisfying manner, swishing Parkinson through the vacant slip cordon for two.
Their partnership surpassed the previous highest stand for any wicket between these two teams, eclipsing the 229 runs scored by Rob Key and Ed Smith at Tunbridge Wells in 2004, taking Lancashire to 305 for one at tea.
The hot weather proved challenging for the home crowd, with some spectators even removing their blazers to cope with the heat. The CAMRA tent did brisk business, likely due to its offerings being a comforting option for Kent fans. Despite the challenging conditions, the evening session brought a glimmer of hope for Kent. Wells reached 150 by steering Parkinson for two but was finally dismissed in the 84th over, caught by Charlie Stobo at first slip off Marcus O'Riordan.
Stobo claimed his maiden championship wicket when George Bell dragged a leg-side delivery onto his off-stump off the back of his bat. George Lavelle, who had been waiting to bat for six hours, got a golden duck, edging Beyers Swanepoel to O'Riordan at second slip.
This mini-collapse stemmed the flow of runs, but Bohannon, despite being dropped off the luckless Singh in the penultimate over, and Matty Hurst saw Lancashire through to the end of day two, leaving them in a commanding position.