DARYL Mitchell’s 161 on the second day at Wantage Road put Worcestershire on course for a fourth consecutive victory in Specsavers County Championship Division Two.

He helped his side take a first-innings lead of 196 in a total of 434 all out and Northamptonshire were 53-2 by the close of day two, trailing by 143.

Mitchell’s 243-ball stay in a minute shy of six hours was his best score for two seasons, his 26th first-class century and first at Northampton.

It was a typically dogged effort with 19 boundaries, few memorable strokes but a classic example of concentration and determination.

It set the game up perfectly for Worcestershire who were eventually bowled out for 434.

When Joe Leach knocked out Max Holden’s off stump five overs into the Northants second innings and Alex Wakely (16) criminally hooked Josh Tongue to long leg three overs from the close it was an ideal day for the visitors.

Mitchell’s tight technique and cool temperament was tailor-made for a day where Northants hoped to get back in the game and bowled far better than the first evening.

But after striking in the seventh over of the day the hosts were ground down, chiefly by Mitchell who prodded, poked, pushed and pulled them out of the game.

He made only two Championship centuries last season but has taken only four games to match the mark this year, following up his 120 at Derby last week.

Resuming on 52 he steered Worcestershire through an important morning session with the ball moving around under a good layer of cloud.

Ben Sanderson beat the bat several times and created a half-chance against Mitchell who edged towards second slip on 61 but Wakely couldn’t get down to his right to take the catch.

But apart from one airy drive edged past slip Mitchell had the measure of the attack and went through to a century in 164 balls with 11 boundaries.

He eventually fell to the ninth over of the second new ball, lbw to a full delivery from Nathan Buck.

He shared 169 for the fourth wicket with Tom Kohler-Cadmore (76) - a partnership that took 45.4 overs and did not have a modest Wantage Road crowd hurrying out of the bars.

What it did do is snuff out Northants' vision of a recovery.

It took until the fourth over of the second new ball for Northants to make the breakthrough.

Sanderson slid a ball into Kohler-Cadmore’s middle stump after he had gone past 50 for the second time this season in the Championship in 101 balls with seven fours, his best stroke a perfectly-timed pull off Sanderson.

Just when it looked as if Northants had restored some pride with Buck completing a second five-for of the season, pegging Worcestershire back from 299-3 to 365-8, Leach and Jack Shantry added a 50 partnership in just 37 balls to raise maximum batting points.

The pick of the strokes was Leach’s lofted extra-cover drive for six en route to 50 in only 34 balls.

Shantry’s reverse-sweeps in his unbeaten 30 were also a sign that is was Worcestershire’s day.

Mitchell said: “Northants have actually been a bit of a bogey team for me until the last couple of years so it’s nice to get a few.

“400 is always our target and we got there with a couple of decent partnerships.

“Tom came in and played a really important knock, he’s good to bat with and that was an enjoyable stand.

“We’ve had two good days here and got a big lead on a deteriorating pitch so hopefully we can press home the advantage tomorrow."