Find out what happened across the County Championship on the third day of the first round of the 2021 competition
Essex v Worcestershire
Chelmsford (third day of four): Essex 490-9, Worcestershire 350-6 - trail by 140 runs with four first-innings wickets in hand
Jake Libby continued his Bob Willis Trophy form into the LV= Insurance County Championship as he and Ed Barnard both struck unbeaten centuries.
Libby scored 498 first-class runs in 2020, with only Alastair Cook collecting more, and began his 2021 with a durable 141 from 369 balls.
Allrounder Barnard, whose previous best score in first-class cricket was 75, confidently partnered Libby to score 116 in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand worth 205, a county record versus Essex.
Riki Wessels also scored 54 as Worcestershire passed the follow-on target and reduced Essex’s 490 to a deficit of 140 by close on day three at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.
Warwickshire v Derbyshire
Edgbaston (third day of four): Derbyshire 189 & 71-5, Warwickshire 221 - Derbyshire lead by 39 runs with five second-innings wickets in hand
A five-wicket haul from Olly Hannon-Dalby put Warwickshire into a strong position against Derbyshire on a heavily rain-affected third day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Trailing by 32 on first innings, Derbyshire were 71 for five in their second, Hannon-Dalby having taken five for 29, when bad light and rain arrived to wipe out the last 62 overs of the day.
After the Bears, replying to 189, were bowled out for 221 in the morning, Hannon-Dalby started explosively, taking wickets with the second, fifth and sixth balls of his second over.
Derbyshire were in deep trouble but then the weather intervened yet again and, in conditions still favourable to the seamers, all results remain possible going into tomorrow's final day.
Nottinghamshire v Durham
Trent Bridge (third day of four): Durham 330 & 332-4, Nottinghamshire 267 - Durham lead by 395 runs with six second-innings wickets in hand
South African batsman David Bedingham turned his maiden first-class century in English cricket into a career-best unbeaten 180 to put Durham in complete control of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge.
The 26-year-old right-hander, no stranger to these parts after three seasons with village side Plumtree in the Nottinghamshire Premier League, surpassed his previous best of 147 for Boland against Easterns in 2018 to help Durham recover from 22 for three to build a 395 lead with one day remaining. Bedingham’s fifth-wicket partnership with Ned Eckersley, who finished unbeaten on 113, has added 254, a Durham record for the fifth wicket against any opposition.
It means that Nottinghamshire, whose bowling attack was weakened by the absence of the injured Jake Ball, will - barring something extraordinary - see their woeful run of results in first-class cricket stretch to 28 matches without a win, going back to June 2018.
Leicestershire v Hampshire
Grace Road (third day of four): Hampshire 612 for 5, Leicestershire 202 & - 279-8 Leicestershire trail by 131 runs with three second-innings wickets in hand
Hampshire took 14 wickets in the day as they closed in on a comprehensive innings victory in their opening LV=Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire.
It took the visitors only 80 minutes to wrap up the Leicestershire first innings after the Foxes resumed on 151-4. The rout started with the second ball of the day, when non-striker Colin Ackermann, who had shared a partnership of 68 for the fourth wicket with Harry Swindells, was called through for a quick single and was well short of his ground when James Vince’s throw hit the stumps.
Swindells went on to make a career-best 59 but fell to leg-spinner Mason Crane, who found good turn to pick up 3-11 in his spell.
Leicestershire’s second innings followed a similar pattern, though Harry Dearden hit some fine off-side drives in going to 62 and Lewis Hill battled hard in making 65. But there was controversy in the dismissal of Hassan Azad, the opener being given out stumped off Liam Dawson when wicket-keeper Lewis McManus knocked off the bails with his left hand while the ball was in his right hand, which was raised in the air as he appealed for a catch.
Crane was again amongst the wickets, dismissing Dearden, Swindells and Ben Mike, but Leicestershire’s stubborn late resistance ensured play would go into a fourth day.
Joe Root was in action for Yorkshire, where the teams were delayed by snow!
Gloucestershire v Surrey
Bristol (third day of four): Surrey 220 & 232-5, Gloucestershire 326 - Surrey lead by 126 runs with five second-innings wickets in hand
Ben Foakes and Rory Burns kept Surrey alive against Gloucestershire as they closed day three at Bristol 232 for five in their second innings leading by 126.
After Gloucestershire took a first innings lead of 106, Surrey lost three for seven to slip to 48 for three, still trailing by 58, but Burns, who made 74, and Foakes, unbeaten on 81 at the close, shared 97 for the fourth wicket.
Burns fell before tea and when David Payne bowled Jamie Smith with the last ball of the session, Surrey were 187 for five, only 81 ahead.
But Foakes and Jordan Clark took their side to the close still in the game.
Middlesex v Somerset
Lord's (third day of four): Middlesex 313 & 143, Somerset 172 & 112-3 - Somerset need 173 runs to win with seven second-innings wickets in hand
Somerset skipper Tom Abell’s unbeaten half-century maintained his side’s hopes of victory after Middlesex set a target of 285 in their LV= County Championship opener at Lord’s.
Abell’s bowlers fought their way back into the game, with Josh Davey, Jack Leach and Craig Overton taking three wickets apiece to dismiss Middlesex for 143 in their second innings, despite Stephen Eskinazi’s knock of 53.
Although Toby Roland-Jones picked up two wickets, the home side were unable to dislodge Abell, who remained 62 not out as Somerset advanced to 112 for three – requiring another 173 – before the weather intervened.
Jack Leach bowled tightly for Somerset
Northamptonshire v Kent
Wantage Road (third day of four): Kent 455, Northamptonshire 301-5 - Northamptonshire trail by 154 runs with five first-innings wickets in hand
Ricardo Vasconcelos’ sparkling 154 under pressure turned around Northamptonshire’s fortunes on a weather-affected third day of their LV= County Championship clash against Kent.
The highly-promising youngster raced to his sixth first-class hundred, sharing a 142-run partnership with Rob Keogh to lead Northamptonshire’s fightback after the loss of three early wickets.
By the day finished early due to bad light and sleet, Northamptonshire had reached 301 for 5 and a draw looks likely.
Lancashire v Sussex
Old Trafford (third day of four): Sussex 301, Lancashire 407 - Sussex trail by 68 runs with 10 second-innings wickets in hand
Lancashire’s bowlers will need to take 10 wickets relatively cheaply on the final day at Emirates Old Trafford if they are to guide their side to victory in their opening LV= Insurance County Championship match against Sussex.
Only 42.3 overs were possible on Saturday and in the first half of that allotment the home side were dismissed for 407, giving them a first-innings lead of 106. Skipper Dane Vilas top-scored with 189.
However, openers Aaron Thomason and Tom Haines then resisted the Lancashire attack for 21 overs and Sussex were 38 without loss when bad light, sleet and rain ended play early on a bleak evening. That leaves the visitors with a deficit of 68 runs going into the final sessions of the game.
Dane Vilas made 189 for Lancashire
Yorkshire v Glamorgan
Headingley (third day of four): Glamorgan 330 & 161-4, Yorkshire 193 - Glamorgan lead by 298 runs with six second-innings wickets in hand
Ninety minutes of steady snow - either side of and through the lunch interval - at Emerald Headingley ensured only 32 overs were bowled early on day three as Glamorgan’s opening round victory hopes were hampered.
A dominant morning with the bat had put the Welshmen in pole position to win this LV= Insurance County Championship Group Three fixture.
Glamorgan, 68 for four in their second innings overnight, advanced to reach lunch on 161 for four with a lead of 298. Unbeaten fifth-wicket pair Billy Root and Chris Cooke both went beyond 50.
Yorkshire’s victory hopes were effectively frozen out before the wintery weather arrived at 12.55pm.
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