Find out what happened across the LV= Insurance County Championship on day two of the second round of divisional fixtures
Division One
Nottinghamshire v Lancashire
Trent Bridge (second day of four): Nottinghamshire 272 & 127-5, Lancashire 168 - Nottinghamshire lead by 231 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining
Nottinghamshire hold the upper hand against Lancashire as they look to make it back-to-back Division One wins in the final phase of the LV=Insurance County Championship.
Making light of the absence of injured England paceman Saqib Mahmood, Lancashire’s bowlers had them 127 for 5 in their second innings. Tom Bailey and George Balderson picked up two wickets each after Ben Duckett made 44 for the home side.
But after earlier bowling out the visitors for 168, with Brett Hutton taking 5 for 62, to claim a first-innings lead of 104, Nottinghamshire hold an advantage of 231 going into the third day and Lancashire may not fancy chasing too many more on a wearing surface.
A win for either team would give them the lead in the Division One table if leaders Warwickshire fail to beat Hampshire at Edgbaston, with every point vital in the four-round mini-series that will decide this year’s title.
Warwickshire v Hampshire
Edgbaston (second day of four): Hampshire 89 & 260-8, Warwickshire 116 - Hampshire lead by 233 runs with two second-innings wickets remaining
A compelling LV=Insurance County Championship contest is unfolding at Edgbaston where Hampshire closed the second day on 260 for 8 in their second innings, 233 ahead of Warwickshire.
A fluctuating third day was heading the home side's way when they had Hampshire 208 for 8, just 181 in front, but former Edgbaston favourite Keith Barker dug in with Brad Wheal to add an unbroken 52 up to stumps.
After taking a five-for on the first day, Barker continued to impede his former teammates' title bid with an unbeaten 49 (124 balls) with power to add. Warwickshire will face an awkward chase in pursuit of a victory that would keep them top of the championship table.
Division Two
Durham v Glamorgan
Chester-le-Street (second day of four): Glamorgan 97 & 71-2, Durham 503-8d - Glamorgan trail by 335 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Durham are in complete command of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Glamorgan, with the visitors requiring a further 335 to avoid an innings defeat at Emirates Riverside.
The home side were relentless with the bat to surge into a dominant 406-run lead. Ben Raine, Liam Trevaskis and Ned Eckersley all scored half-centuries, while Sean Dickson and David Bedingham fell narrowly short of fifties in a complete performance from the batting unit. Durham posted their first score of over 500 of the season before they declared in the evening session.
Glamorgan lost early wickets in their second innings to ramp up the pressure on the Welsh outfit. The visitors require a mammoth effort to force the hosts to bat again with only eight wickets remaining heading into day three of the contest.
Essex v Gloucestershire
Chelmsford (second day of four): Gloucestershire 76 & 132-5, Essex 276 - Gloucestershire trail by 68 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining
James Bracey collected his seventh LV= Insurance County Championship fifty of the season as Gloucestershire battled to save their clash with Essex.
Bracey, who earned an England Test debut earlier in the summer, took his first-class run tally for the summer to 685 with a rear-guard performance.
Fifteen wickets fell on the opening day at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford, but only nine fell on the second as the pitch flattened out.
Five of those were Essex’s tail, as Paul Walter fell for a career-best 96 and the home side clocked up a 200-run first-innings lead – which thanks to Bracey’s 50 and Ben Charlesworth’s 49 had been knocked down to 69 by the close.
Ben Charlesworth’s 49 helped keep Essex at bay
Northamptonshire v Surrey
Northampton (second day of four): Surrey 252 & 102-4, Northamptonshire 171 - Surrey lead by 183 runs with six second-innings wickets remaining
Veteran all-rounder Rikki Clarke chalked up the 800th wicket of his career to help put Surrey in control of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Northamptonshire.
Clarke, who will retire just before turning 40 later this month, took three for 34 as the home side were bowled out for 171 at Wantage Road, a first-innings deficit of 81.
Luke Procter struck back by dismissing both Surrey openers second time around, but Hashim Amla’s unbeaten 26 steered his side to 102 for 4 and an overall lead of 183 at stumps.
Division Three
Derbyshire v Leicestershire
Derby (second day of four): Leicestershire 528, Derbyshire 41-3 - Derbyshire trail by 487 runs with seven first-innings first-innings wickets remaining
Chris Wright had a day to remember as Leicestershire took complete control of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division Three match against Derbyshire at Derby.
The 36-year-old pace bowler claimed his 500th first-class wicket after making a career-best 87 off 167 balls in Leicestershire’s imposing 528 all out.
Lewis Hill scored 113 from 174 balls and Harry Swindells 76 with seamer Ben Aitchison taking 3 for 71 from 28 overs.
Spinners Matt Critchley and Alex Thomson each took three wickets but Derbyshire need 378 just to avoid following-on and ended day two in deep trouble on 41 for 3.
Brett Hutton's five-for helped give Notts a first-innings lead
Kent v Worcestershire
Canterbury (second day of four): Worcestershire 133 & 91-6, Kent 393 - Worcestershire trail by 169 runs with four second-innings wickets remaining
Worcestershire are facing an innings defeat in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury, having reached 91 for 6 at the end of day two, trailing Kent by 169.
Grant Stewart, Nathan Gilchrist and Darren Stevens claimed two wickets each to leave the visitors in deep trouble after Kent had earlier been dismissed 393, a first-innings lead of 260.
Jack Leaning top-scored with 97 and Sam Billings made a stylish 72 as a substitute after being released by England, while Dillon Pennington claimed four for 80.
Ed Barnard and Ben Cox were the not out batsman at stumps, on 10 and two respectively, and with just the tail to come Kent are heavy favourites to conclude victory within three days.
Sussex v Middlesex
Hove (first day of four): Middlesex 400-2
Mark Stoneman and Sam Robson broke Middlesex’s record for the highest first-wicket partnership as they put Sussex’s toothless attack to the sword.
Robson was unbeaten on 192 and Stoneman made 174 as Middlesex piled up 400 for 2 on the first day of the LV = Insurance County Championship Division Three match at Hove.
They beat the 372 by Mike Gatting and Justin Langer against Essex at Southgate in 1998 and when Stoneman was eventually dismissed on 376, they had compiled the third-highest partnership for any wicket in Middlesex’s history.
The second new ball brought Sussex a breakthrough when Stoneman was caught behind for 174 in the 86th over, his first hundred since his move from Surrey.
But Robson ploughed on and by stumps had faced 285 balls and hit 23 fours. He walked off to a standing ovation and will have the third double hundred of his career in his sights tomorrow.
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