Find out what happened in the latest round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches
DIVISION ONE
Old Trafford (second day of four): Lancashire 145 & 2-0, Kent 270 - Lancashire trail by 123 runs with 10 second-innings wickets remaining
Kent finished the happier of the two sides at the end of a captivating second day of this LV=Insurance Division One clash with Lancashire after building a substantial first innings lead over their hosts.
Lancashire had been honest about their intentions to play on a pitch used just a few days before for England's one-day international match with India but their decision backfired somewhat when they were bowled out for just 145 in a calamitous morning session that saw nine wickets fall in 28 overs.
Kent struggled to do much better until half centuries from Joe Denly, Jack Leaning and Grant Stewart saw a topsy-turvy day swing in favour of the visitors who were dismissed for 270 replying to Lancashire before the Red Rose closed on two without loss at the beginning of their second innings.
***
Chelmsford (second day of four): Essex 505-9d, Somerset 99-1 - Somerset trail by 406 runs with nine first-innings wickets remaining
Nick Browne tenaciously scored the fourth County Championship double century of his career as Essex afflicted 505 on Somerset.
Opening batter Browne has a belligerent and unflustered temperament which gives him the ability to go big once he gets in. His mammoth unbeaten 234 showcased the best of these traits.
Tom Lammonby collected 3 for 35 for his personal-best figures and Peter Siddle claimed his 700th first-class wicket in a testing five-and-a-bit sessions for the visitors.
In reply, Simon Harmer pinched his 45th wicket of the season as Somerset reached 99 for 1 at quite a tempo, ending the day 406 runs in arrears.
Ollie Robinson was back with a bang for Sussex (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Scarborough (second day of four): Yorkshire 159 & 23-1, Hampshire 218 - Yorkshire trail by 36 runs with nine second-innings wickets remaining
Fifties for Ben Brown and Keith Barker helped Hampshire maintain their advantage over Yorkshire as wickets fell again on day two of this intriguing County Championship fixture at Scarborough.
Hampshire, replying to 159, recovered from 72 for 6 after lunch to 218 all out thanks to an 88-run seventh-wicket partnership between Brown and Barker, who made 53 and 52 respectively.
A day which started with Yorkshire on 158 for 8 first time around saw them end it on 23 for 1 from 13 overs of their second innings, trailing by 36.
Cheltenham (second day of four): Gloucestershire 317, Northamptonshire 353-7 - Northamptonshire lead by 38 runs with three first-innings wickets remaining
Ryan Rickelton fell five short of a century as Northamptonshire built a first-innings lead over Gloucestershire on the second day of the County Championship match at Cheltenham College.
The 26-year-old member of South Africa's Test squad, already with two Championship hundreds under his belt in his first three games for Northants, hit 13 fours and a six in helping them post 353 for 7 in reply to Gloucestershire's 317.
Luke Procter contributed 78 and skipper Will Young 61, while left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar clamed 4 for 93 from 31 overs.
Lancashire are having a difficult week (George Wood/Getty Images)
The Kia Oval (second day of four): Warwickshire 253 & 1-0 v Surrey 316 - Warwickhire trail by 62 runs with 10 second-innings wickets remaining
Ollie Pope's sparkling 65, and a determined ninth-wicket stand of 72 between Conor McKerr and Jamie Overton, edged Surrey ahead of Warwickshire at the midway point of a hard-fought County Championship contest at the Kia Oval.
Pope, who faced only 73 balls and hit two sixes and nine fours, scored the only half century of the match so far, while McKerr and Overton’s heroics enabled Surrey to reply with 316 to Warwickshire's 253. In two overs' batting before stumps, Warwickshire reached one without loss in their second innings, reducing their overall deficit to 62.
DIVISION TWO
Worcester (second day of four): Derbyshire 130 & 286-6, Worcestershire 185 - Derbyshire lead by 231 runs with four second-innings wickets remaining
Veteran Wayne Madsen completed 1,000 first-class runs for the season as he and Anuj Dal helped manoeuvre Derbyshire back into strong contention on day two of the County Championship match with Worcestershire at New Road.
Madsen reached four figures in a campaign for the sixth time when he reached 32 and went onto make an invaluable 69. Dal then capitalised on Madsen's foundations with a second half century of the game.
Mattie McKiernan, 58 not out, gave him sterling support during an unbroken stand of 120 and 169 runs were scored in an elongated final session which ended at 7.10pm.
Wayne Madsen has made 1,000 first-class runs this summer (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Chester-le-Street (second day of four): Durham 421-7d, Middlesex 43-0 - Middlesex trail by 379 runs with 10 first-innings wickets remaining
Michael Jones scored a career-best 206 to anchor Durham's innings of 421 for 7 declared on day two of their County Championship Division Two clash against Middlesex at Seat Unique Riverside.
Resuming on an overnight score of 78, the Durham opener played a perfect knock to play himself in before taking the attack to the visitors. Jones notched 28 boundaries and three sixes to post his maiden double hundred, ensuring that Durham recorded four valuable batting points after losing the majority of day one due to rain.
Scott Borthwick and David Bedingham supported Jones with half centuries as the hosts opted to declare in an attempt to force a result over the final two days, while Toby Roland-Jones finished with impressive figures of 4 for 67 from his 28.3 overs. Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman then saw their side through to the close unbeaten, although still trailing Durham's total by 379 runs.
***
Trent Bridge (first day of four): Nottinghamshire 240, Sussex 94-5 - Sussex trail by 146 runs with five first-innings wickets remaining
England fast bowler Ollie Robinson took four wickets on his return to competitive action as Sussex bowled out Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire for 240 but sunk to 49 for 5 before closing on 94 for 5 in reply on an eventful opening day of their latest County Championship match.
Robinson, whose problems in recent months have included a bout of Covid, a tooth infection and food poisoning in addition to a persistent back injury, dismissed the first four names on the Nottinghamshire scorecard to finish with 4 for 44 from 16 overs in his first appearance since May.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.