Find out what happened across the LV= Insurance County Championship on the second day of the eleventh round of the 2021 competition
Group 1
Derbyshire v Essex
Derby (second day of four): Derbyshire 146, Essex 86-3 - ABANDONED
Derbyshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship match against Essex has been abandoned after one of the home team players tested positive for Covid-19.
The unnamed player returned a positive lateral flow test last night (Sunday) and is now self-isolating along with the rest of the Derbyshire squad involved in the Essex game and the players who travelled to Durham on Friday for the Vitality Blast match.
In a statement Derbyshire confirmed: "Due to the isolation protocols and impact on the available playing squad, the decision has been made in conjunction with Public Health England and the England and Wales Cricket Board to abandon the fixture, with the awarding of points to be confirmed in due course."
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Durham v Nottinghamshire
Chester-le-Street (second day of four): Nottinghamshire 312-9
No play was possible due to heavy rain on day two of the LV= Insurance County Championship clash between Durham and Nottinghamshire at Emirates Riverside.
Overnight rain persisted into the morning, and although there was brief respite which allowed the covers to be removed, the elements soon returned. A pitch inspection at 1.30pm offered hope, but the rain returned once again in the afternoon before play was eventually called off for the day at 3.55pm.
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Worcestershire v Warwickshire
Worcester (second day of four): Warwickshire 395, Worcestershire 152-2
Warwickshire claimed four batting points to strengthen their hopes of a top two finish in Group One of the LV= Insurance County Championship despite a six-wicket haul by spinner Ish Sodhi on his first-class debut for Worcestershire at New Road.
A half-century from Bears captain Will Rhodes, with good support from Matt Lamb and the lower order, helped his side advance from their overnight 245 for 4 to 395 all out.
Sodhi, an ever present for Worcestershire Rapids during their Vitality Blast campaign, marked his first ever red ball game in England by taking the last five wickets and the New Zealander ended with figures of 6 for 89 from 30.2 overs.
Worcestershire opener Daryl Mitchell then hit his highest score of the summer – an unbeaten 83 - as his side reached 152 for 2 on a still flat pitch.
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Group 2
Gloucestershire v Hampshire
Cheltenham (second day of four): Gloucestershire 229, Hampshire 270-5
Joe Weatherley and Ian Holland put Hampshire on top at Cheltenham with a 174-run opening stand as their side made 270 for 5 to lead Gloucestershire by 41.
Having taken the final four Gloucestershire wickets for only 15 runs inside six overs of day two to bowl the hosts out for 229, Weatherley and Holland shared a partnership into the 52nd over of the reply.
Weatherley made 78 - his first half-century of the season - and Holland continued his fine campaign with 74 - the sixth score of 50 or more for Hampshire’s leading run scorer.
When they were finally parted, Gloucestershire mounted a comeback, taking 5 for 58, but they are playing catch-up in a game they now cannot afford to lose.
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Middlesex v Leicestershire
Northwood (second day of four): Middlesex 324, Leicestershire 174-5
Leicestershire seamer Will Davis bowled his side back into contention on the second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Middlesex with season’s-best figures of 5 for 66.
Davis, who had gone wicketless the previous day as Middlesex amassed 280 for 3 at Merchant Taylors’ School, sliced through the lower and middle order to prompt a collapse to 324 all out.
In response, home captain Tim Murtagh collected two early Leicestershire wickets before his opposite number Colin Ackermann righted the ship with a patient undefeated half-century.
Ackermann had reached 65 not out, with the visitors on 174 for 5, when bad light forced the players from the field.
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Surrey v Somerset
The Oval (second day of four): Somerset 429, Surrey 24-0
Somerset will qualify for the Division One stage of this summer’s new-look LV= Insurance County Championship format if they avoid defeat against Surrey at the Kia Oval this week and, on a weather-reduced second day, the Group Two leaders took significant steps towards that aim by reaching 429 all out in their first innings.
Late afternoon rain then caused the last 37 overs of the day to be lost after Surrey’s openers Rory Burns and Mark Stoneman had reached 24 without loss in reply in the final conference stage match.
Somerset’s lower order had earlier batted well against Surrey’s spin trio of Ravi Ashwin, Amar Virdi and Dan Moriarty on a slow surface, with Indian Test off spinner Ashwin toiling through 43 overs in all for his eventual 1 for 99 and Virdi emerging as the most successful with figures of 3 for 86. Moriarty finished with 2 for 109.
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Jordan Clark finished with figures of 3 for 75 from his 27 overs, dismissing Devon Conway, James Hildreth and Lewis Goldsworthy
Group 3
Kent v Sussex
Canterbury (second day of four): Sussex 181, Kent 122-7
Kent moved to 122 for 7 on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Sussex at Canterbury, cutting the visitors lead to 59 on a day when just an hour and 20 minutes of play was possible.
Jamie Atkins has 4 for 31 after taking one of the two wickets to fall, while Sean Hunt has 1 for 23 after removing Kent’s top scorer, Harry Podmore, for 37.
Kent’s already depleted squad endured another withdrawal when first-team bowler Nathan Gilchrist, who took 2 for 24 during Sussex’s first innings, was told to self-isolate, earning a call-up for Bailey Wightman, who became the sixth Kent debutant of the match.
The start was delayed until 2.15 pm thanks to a damp outfield, by which point dark clouds were already rolling in.
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Glamorgan v Northamptonshire
Cardiff (second day of four): Northamptonshire 215, Glamorgan 52-2
Glamorgan had a solid day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship with Northamptonshire but more Welsh rain means the game is likely to end in a draw.
Figures of 4 for 18 from Andrew Salter helped Glamorgan dismiss Northamptonshire for 215 although the home county only needed to take nine wickets with Gareth Berg absent hurt.
Glamorgan’s reply reached 52 for 2 when the second rain shower of the day delivered a fatal blow to the afternoon’s action.
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Yorkshire v Lancashire
Headingley (second day of four): Lancashire 273-2
The second day of the Roses LV= Insurance County Championship fixture between Yorkshire and Lancashire at Emerald Headingley was washed out without a ball bowled.
Heavy overnight rain continued into the morning and early afternoon before umpires Ian Gould and Nigel Long called a halt to the day shortly after their 1.40pm post-lunch inspection.
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