Find out what happened on day three of the latest round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches
DIVISION ONE
Southport (third day of four): Somerset 446, Lancashire 624-9 - Lancashire lead by 178 runs with one first-innings wicket remaining
A career-best first-class score of 318 from Lancashire's Keaton Jennings and a century from Luke Wells have helped set up a potentially thrilling final day against a beleaguered Somerset at a sun-drenched Trafalgar Road in Southport.
After Wells moved quickly to three figures from his overnight score of 99, the focus of the day became about Jennings, who dominated the visitors' increasingly ragged bowling attack, as he made the highest individual first class score in the 45 games that have been played at this popular out ground, the fourth highest by any Lancashire batter in history and the highest by any Lancashire batter since 1990.
And with the Red Rose scoring quickly throughout the afternoon their advantage could turn into a match winning one if an overnight declaration follows after they closed day three on 624 for 9 with a lead of 178.
***
Southampton (third day of four): Warwickshire 217 & 212-9, Hampshire 370-9 dec - Warwickshire lead by 59 runs with one second-innings wicket remaining
Keith Barker claimed 4 for 23 after Michael Burgess and Alex Davies tenaciously ground down Hampshire to chaperon Warwickshire into day four.
Bears old boy Barker is second in the Division One wicket-taking tally with 38 scalps this season but was forced to toil with Mohammad Abbas (3 for 31), Liam Dawson (2 for 38) and the rest of the hosts' attack.
Davies and Burgess, 46 and 58, were the chief occupiers on a turgid day of low scoring as Warwickshire attempted to scrap their way out of the threat of an innings defeat, having given up a 153 first-innings deficit.
Hampshire will need a wicket and at least 59 runs on the final day; with victory and a likely Surrey draw closing the gap at the top of the table to a single point.
Glamorgan are in charge against Nottinghamshire (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
***
Canterbury (third day of four): Northamptonshire 303 & 280-5, Kent 335 - Northamptonshire lead by 248 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining
A tense final day could be in store in the County Championship at Canterbury, where Northamptonshire lead Kent by 252, having reached 284 for 5 at stumps, aided by an unbeaten 101 from Ryan Rickelton.
On a see-sawing day at the St. Lawrence, Kent were all out for 335, adding just 48 to their overnight score for a modest lead of 32. Jack White took 4 for 62 and Ben Sanderson 4 for 63, while Jordan Cox was the top scorer with 72.
The hosts then reduced Northamptonshire to 64 for 3, but a stand of 158 between Rickelton and James Neesham batted them out of immediate danger.
***
Scarborough (third day of four): Yorkshire 521 & 65-2, Surrey 515 - Yorkshire lead by 71 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining
England Test wicketkeeper Ben Foakes hit a superb unbeaten 86, expertly backing up Rory Burns’ century, as LV= Insurance County Championship leaders Surrey engineered an outside victory chance against Yorkshire at Scarborough.
Surrey, replying to a first-innings 521, ensured only a six-run deficit with 20 overs remaining on day three before Yorkshire’s second innings reached close at 65 for two, including two late Jamie Overton wickets.
Ben Foakes was in the runs for Surrey (Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
DIVISION TWO
Chester-le-Street (third day of four): Derbyshire 283 & 329-6, Durham 296 - Derbyshire lead by 316 runs with four second-innings wickets remaining
Centuries from Leus du Plooy and Brooke Guest worked Derbyshire into a match-winning position on day three of their County Championship Division Two clash against Durham.
Du Plooy and Guest combined for a mammoth stand of 248 for the fifth wicket to take the contest away from the home side, recovering from the loss of two early wickets that had put the visitors in trouble at 36 for four in the first hour of the day.
The two Derbyshire batters were outstanding as Du Plooy scored his second century of the game, while Guest passed three figures for the third time of the campaign to leave their side in command at the close at 329 for 6 with a lead of 316 and the potential of an overnight declaration.
Sam Northeast made a hundred for Glamorgan (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
Hove (third day of four): Sussex 588, Leicestershire 529-4 - Leicestershire trail by 59 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining
Louis Kimber, Colin Ackermann and Wiaan Mulder all made centuries as Leicestershire's batsmen enjoyed a placid Hove pitch as much as Sussex's had on the third day of their County Championship match at Hove.
There should have been a fourth hundred to celebrate for the Foxes but Rishi Patel was out for 99 as Leicestershire responded to Sussex's 588 with 529 for 4, Ackermann (167) and Mulder (129) having added 260 for the fifth wicket so far.
Sussex's bowlers plugged away but only 13 wickets have fallen in three days and the contest, between the bottom two sides in the second division, is destined for a draw, although Leicestershire may feel they could apply pressure if they can score quickly and get a decent lead on the final day.
***
Cardiff (third day of four): Glamorgan 318 & 421-5, Nottinghamshire 285 & 19-1 - Nottinghamshire need 436 runs to win
Harare-born Eddie Byrom's second substantial century of the season boosted Glamorgan's hopes of promotion from Division Two, setting leaders Nottinghamshire a massive 455 to win.
The former Somerset player hit a fluent 144, before a late assault by Sam Northeast, scoring a first century for his new county, led to the declaration at 421 for 4 on a day of toil for the visiting bowlers.
Billy Root added a half century for the Welsh county, as a final nine-over blast at the end of the day saw Michael Hogan clean bowl first innings half centurion Haseeb Hameed for one with a ball that cut back. Ben Slater and Matt Montgomery survived to the close.
Nottinghamshire face an uphill struggle on the fourth and final day of the County Championship clash to hold their rivals at bay, closing at 19 for 1 on a wicket offering some assistance to the bowlers.
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.