RYAN ten Doeschate and James Foster made sparkling centuries as Essex pressed for victory against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

The home side closed day three of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match creaking on 56 for four in their second innings, trailing by 140, after the visitors had piled up 640.

Both ten Doeschate and Foster had only one half-century each in the competition this season but came out with great intent to haul the match Essex's way.

Northamptonshire retained a foothold in the game for the first session and a half but by tea they were facing another second innings of batting out for a draw after conceding a first-innings lead of 196.

They suffered a top-order calamity second time around, in 19 overs before the close.

Rob Newton fell leg before wicket to Matt Quinn in the third over for a duck and Rob Keogh was also lbw to Ravi Bopara for 10.

Josh Cobb was bowled by Quinn for a golden duck and when Ben Duckett went to sweep Ashar Zaidi's first ball and was caught at short leg, the hosts were 51 for four and staring at defeat.

Essex's victory push was set up by two outstanding centuries.

Batting has been largely straightforward at Wantage Road this season with some large totals scored - but the progress ten Doeschate and Foster made put everything else in the shade.

Coming together with Essex still 22 runs behind, they added 215 in just 31.4 overs - a record seventh-wicket stand for Essex against Northamptonshire.

The best aspect of the stand was the running between the wickets, a lesson in the art from two batsman in their mid-30s. They scampered for every run available and pushed the fielders hard.

The stand was ended when ten Doeschate was run out by Steven Crook from mid-off for 145 - his 14th first-class century for Essex was typically busy and contained two sixes and 10 fours.

After tea, Foster joined his captain in reaching three figures, off 85 balls. He went on to make 113, including three sixes and 11 fours.

The pair completely wrested control of the game from Northamptonshire, who kept themselves in the game after a decent morning session but after lunch took just one wicket in a session that yielded 215 runs.

The game remained even after a steady morning where Essex added 83 runs for the loss of three wickets, claiming a fourth batting point in the process.

Tom Westley's fine form in 2016 continued with a sixth half-century of the season in 92 balls with seven fours.

Westley was the first to fall in the morning, caught down the leg side by David Murphy for 69, giving Richard Gleeson a third wicket of the innings.

It ended a stand of 122 for the third wicket with Bopara, who went past his third half-century this year in 107 balls with seven boundaries of his own before falling lbw to Crook's second over of the morning for 58.

But Northamptonshire's catching problems continued as two more chances went down in the morning session - bringing the total to five drops in the innings.

Westley was shelled by Murphy on 46 and Dan Lawrence was missed at third slip by Crook on seven - Olly Stone denied for the third time.