The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action on day three of the fifth round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches in 2023
Southampton (third day of four): Hampshire 229, Warwickshire 364-5 - Warwickshire lead by 135 runs with five first-innings wickets in hand
Warwickshire and Ed Barnard endured a frustrating day as rain prevented any play on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship fixture with Hampshire.
The covers stay on at the Ageas Bowl all day due to the incessant rain – with play eventually waved off by umpires Alex Wharf and Russell Warren at 3pm.
For all-rounder Barnard, he was forced to sit and wait with his score on a nervous 91 – nine shy of his maiden century for Warwickshire, having moved from Worcestershire over the winter.
For Warwickshire, they dominated the first two days – having bowled Hampshire out for a much below-par 229 on day one before batting through the second day to reach 364 for 5.
That gave them a lead of 135, and possibly more importantly following the washout, a third batting bonus point.
They still hold out a slim chance of victory on the final day. If they manage to score quick runs they should be able to put pressure on Hampshire’s brittle batting with their strong bowling attack. In particular, they’ll take positives from taking eight wickets in the afternoon session on day one.
No play was possible on day three at The Ageas Bowl (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Trent Bridge (third day of four): Lancashire 214 & 219-4, Nottinghamshire 249 - Lancashire lead by 184 runs with six second-innings wickets in hand
Lancashire's George Balderson and Josh Bohannon put Lancashire in a strong position on a rain-disrupted third day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge only to suffer personal disappointment.
The two shared a partnership of 188 for the second wicket in Lancashire's second innings but both fell short of individual hundreds, Balderson missing out on what would have been his maiden century in first-class cricket when he was out for 91.
Bohannon fell on 92 soon afterwards as Nottinghamshire made gains late in the day but there was concern for their England pace bowler, Olly Stone, a player who has had more than his fair share of bad luck with injuries in his career, had to leave the field after being unable to complete his 15th over in the innings.
Nonetheless, thanks to the efforts of the second-wicket pair, at 219 for 4 Lancashire will take a lead of 184 and six wickets in hand into the final day, when a much better weather forecast raises the prospect of a positive result despite losing 72 of the third day's scheduled overs to rain and bad light.
Josh Bohannon fell eight short of a second century of the second (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Taunton (third day of four): Northamptonshire 255 & 66-1, Somerset 412 - Northamptonshire trail by 91 runs with nine second-innings wickets in hand
James Rew gave another demonstration of his immense potential as Somerset built a strong position on the third day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Northamptonshire at Taunton.
The 19-year-old wicketkeeper contributed 89 to help the home side extend their first innings total from 199 for four to 412 all out, a lead of 157. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, unbeaten on 95 overnight, fell for 130, his first Somerset century, and the pair shared a fifth-wicket stand of 164. Jack White finished with 5 for 103.
Northants faced a tricky 20 overs before the close to start their second innings. They closed on 66 for 1, still 91 runs behind, having lost Ricardo Vasconcelos and seen fellow opener Hassan Azad forced to retire hurt.
James Rew backed up his hundred against Lancashire with a fine 89 (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Chelmsford (third day of four): Essex 314 & 24-0, Surrey 240 - Essex lead by 98 runs with 10 second-innings wickets in hand
Essex and Surrey were left frustrated at rain-swept Chelmsford where only 28 balls were possible in two brief spells on day three.
Essex have now lost an accumulated 458 overs to the weather in their first four County Championship rounds – the equivalent of an entire four-day match.
There were two interruptions inside the first half-an-hour, the second of which proved terminal. Just nine runs were added in the 22 minutes possible, though play was not officially called off until 4.23pm. The forecast, however, is more promising for the final day.
Play had started promptly at 11am as Essex looked to extend their 76-run first-innings lead after dismissing Surrey for 240 at the end of the second day.
Nick Browne turned the first ball from Kemar Roach to third man for three runs. Alastair Cook saw out the next four balls before the players headed back to the pavilion as the first shower struck.
They were back six minutes later for a longer stint during which the Essex openers added a further six runs, largely made up with a typical Cook flick off his hip for four, taking them to 24 without loss, a lead of 98 runs.
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