The Cricketer rounds up the latest from the opening day of the latest batch of matches in the County Championship...
Guildford (day three of four): Somerset 344 & 153, Surrey 231 & 99-2 - Surrey need 168 runs to win
An exciting, absorbing third day’s play at Guildford saw 17 wickets tumble and ended with Surrey, the 2018 champions, still believing that a remarkable first victory of the season is possible against Somerset, last year’s runners-up.
Needing 267 to win, Surrey will start the final day on 99 for 2, with Scott Borthwick on 35 not out after adding a determined 72 in 27 overs for the second wicket with Rory Burns, who slog-swept left-arm spinner Jack Leach for six and also hit eight fours in an excellent 48.
Jack Brooks, who also bowled Mark Stoneman for 12 in his second over with the new ball, struck a potentially crucial blow just before the close, however, when he had Burns, Surrey’s captain, caught at first slip. Scoring the remaining 168 runs Surrey require will not be an easy task.
In seam-friendly conditions, under overcast skies, Surrey had earlier resurrected their chances in dramatic fashion, Matt Dunn taking a career-best five for 43 as Somerset’s last seven second innings wickets fell for 39 as they were bowled out for 153.
James Hildreth’s silky 64 from 80 balls, including 11 fours and by far the best batting of the day, had threatened to put the game beyond Surrey’s reach after a hostile new ball spell from Morne Morkel had removed openers Tom Abell and Marcus Trescothick.
Tom Banton then fell to Dunn, leg-before for 12 on the stroke of lunch, to leave Somerset 50 for three but Hildreth and first innings centurion George Bartlett added 64 for the fourth wicket to put the visitors seemingly in complete control.
Ryan Patel, however, who was last out for a defiant 63 when Surrey slid from their overnight 188 for five to 231 all out, then shaped one into Hildreth’s pads to win a leg-before appeal – the ball appearing to hit pad and then bat – and, suddenly, Somerset were struggling to build the lead of above 300 that would surely have made them overwhelming favourites.
Bartlett, on 16, edged Rikki Clarke to be athletically caught to his right by keeper Ben Foakes, and then Morkel and Dunn sparked the Somerset collapse. Still, the victory target is a stiff one on a pitch that makes batting a testing business, especially against the new ball.
Edgbaston (day three of four): Warwickshire 391-9 dec, Nottinghamshire 97 & 116-1
Jeetan Patel continued his spectacular run of form as Warwickshire seized control of their County Championship match with Nottinghamshire on the third day at Edgbaston.
Warwickshire's captain took six for 16 as the visitors were all out for 97 in reply to 391 for nine declared.
Following on 294 behind, Nottinghamshire made a much better first of it and reached the close on 116 for one, with Ben Duckett unbeaten on 71, but they have plenty more work ahead on the final day to avoid defeat.
On a pitch offering some, but not extravagant, turn, Patel will aim to continue his purple patch. Having followed match-figures of 12 for 89 against Surrey last week with six for 16, his combined analysis from three successive championship innings is 75.4-39-105-18.
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Headingley (day two of four): Yorkshire 390, Essex 252-9
Peter Siddle hit a straight four and six off Steve Patterson late in the third day as Essex passed the follow-on target of 241 with nine wickets down, going a long way to avoiding a Specsavers County Championship defeat against Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley.
With only one day left in the game, the Australian seamer’s unbeaten 39 has given Yorkshire a mountain to climb to secure a third win, despite a superb bowling display in the second half of the day.
Essex will begin day four on 252 for nine from 99 overs.
The visitors were replying confidently to the White Rose’s imposing first-innings 390, with Tom Westley making 77 and Ravi Bopara playing particularly well on the way to 44.
But they were two of four afternoon wickets as Essex slipped from 132 for two to 191 for six at tea, including a collapse of three wickets for only one run, two of them going to ex-South Africa quick Duanne Olivier.
Dan Lawrence (21), Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate for a four-ball duck and Bopara for 44 off 65 balls with nine eye-catching boundaries all fell in the last half hour before tea.
As wickets continued to fall, Siddle then saved his side’s skin by dominating a last-wicket stand of 29 with Sam Cook after a 50-minute bad light delay from 5.30pm.
Chester-le-Street (day three of four): Durham 293 & 160-5, Derbyshire 268
Alex Lees scored a crucial unbeaten half-century to keep Durham ahead in the game against Derbyshire going into the final day of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash at Emirates Riverside.
An innings of 79 from Matt Critchley pulled the visitors to within 25 runs of Durham's total before they were bowled out for 268. Ben Raine and Gareth Harte claimed four wickets apiece to do the damage for the hosts.
Derbyshire came roaring back into the contest as Ravi Rampaul and Luis Reece caused havoc using overcast conditions to their advantage, taking five wickets between them. Amid the chaos at the other end, Lees provided vital resistance for the home side, notching his second fifty of the game to guide his team into a 185-run lead at the close.
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Aigburth (day three of four): Lancashire 449, Leicestershire 288 & 5-1
A superb rear-guard performance from Leicestershire’s lower middle order ensured Division Two leaders Lancashire face a tough challenge if they are to force a win on the final day of a fascinating tussle at Aigburth.
The Foxes’ batsmen fought their way through the day’s latter two sessions following a disastrous morning which had left the visitors 82-5 at lunch and Lancashire expectant that they might be able to push for a win within three days.
But a half-century from Mark Cosgrove (70) and a brilliant 87 from Dieter Klein, as well as able support from Harry Swindells (37) and Callum Parkinson (37) left Leicestershire an agonising 12 runs short of avoiding the follow on as they were dismissed for 288.
By the close of play, Leicestershire were five for one, still trailing by 156 runs, but with showers predicted on the final day, Leicestershire remain in the hunt for a share of the spoils in a game where they have battled hard to keep up with the league’s front runners.
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