Championship Digest: Saturday, April 23, 2022

Find out what happened on the second day of action in the current round of matches in the LV= Insurance County Championship

Division One

Canterbury (third day of four): Kent 305 & 78-3, Hampshire 652-6d - Kent trail Hampshire by 269 runs with seven wickets in hand

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Hampshire are in sight of a heavy victory over Kent in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury, having reduced the hosts to 78 for 3 at stumps on day three. Kent still need another 269 to avoid an innings defeat.

Hampshire declared on 652 for 6 at tea, a lead of 347, on a day when the home side laboured throughout.

Liam Dawson hit his highest first-class score of 171, from 268 balls with three sixes and 20 fours, while Ben Brown hit 157 from 198 balls with 15 fours, as the duo put on Hampshire record partnership of 273 for the fifth wicket.

Kyle Abbott took two for nine in Kent’s second innings, removing both Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond in the space of four balls, while Felix Organ, who has 1 for 7 bowled Tawanda Muyeye, leaving Kent hoping for some last day heroics from Ben Compton, who was unbeaten on 37 at stumps. Jordan Cox is the other not out batsman on 3.

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Old Trafford (third day of four): Gloucestershire 252 & 67-3, Lancashire 556-7d - Gloucestershire trail Lancashire by 237 runs with seven wickets in hand

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Josh Bohannon scored a double century and James Anderson took his first wicket of the season on a day of total domination for Lancashire against a struggling and under-strength Gloucestershire at Emirates Old Trafford.

With the hosts declaring at tea on the third day on 556 for 7, this County Championship Division One clash looks to be heading only one way after the visitors were reduced to 67 for 3 at the close still trailing by 237 runs going into the final day.

^{George Hill scored a century for Yorkshire [Jan Kruger/Getty Images]}

Northampton (third day of four): Yorkshire 296 & 406-3d, Northamptonshire 204 & 56-0 - Northamptonshire trail by 443 runs with 10 wickets in hand

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George Hill hit a magnificent undefeated 151 in just his 11th first-class game to put Yorkshire in complete control on day 3 of this County Championship match against Northamptonshire.

It was a maiden ton for the former England Under-19s vice-captain who shared two huge partnerships as Northamptonshire’s bowlers were put to the sword. First Hill and Dawid Malan posted a 157-run stand, 100 of them coming in the morning session alone. Malan passed 50 for the third successive innings this season but missed out on another opportunity to reach three figures and impress the England selectors.

Hill then combined with Harry Brook in a blistering all-out assault which garnered 148 runs at a pace more typical of a T20 affair.

Set a notional 499 to win on an increasingly flat surface, Northamptonshire openers Ricardo Vasconcelos and Will Young safely negotiated a tricky final session, posting a 56-run opening stand before the close.

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The Oval (third day of four): Somerset 337 & 196-9, Surrey 308 - Somerset lead Surrey by 225 runs with one wicket in hand

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England’s current Test wicketkeeper Ben Foakes had to leave the field after clashing heads with Jamie Overton, at first slip, while taking a brilliant diving catch in Surrey’s finely-balanced County Championship match against Somerset at the Kia Oval.

A stretcher was initially brought out as a stricken Foakes was given lengthy treatment, but he was eventually able to walk off unaided and will hope to play a further part in a Division One game that could still go either way after three absorbing days.

Tom Abell added a fluent 68-ball 53 to his career-best 150 not out earlier in the match and Tom Banton also hit a determined 52 as Somerset reached stumps 225 runs ahead of Surrey at 196 for 9 in their second innings.

^{Ed Barnes (centre) took five wickets for Leicestershire [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

Edgbaston (third day of four): Essex 168 & 290-8, Warwickshire 385 - Essex lead Warwickshire by 73 runs with two wickets in hand

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England batter Dan Lawrence defied Warwickshire despite a hamstring injury as Essex battled to avoid defeat in a gripping County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Trailing by 217 on first innings, Essex closed the third day on 290 for 8 - 73 ahead - with Lawrence, who batted at No.7 and with a runner, having bolstered their resistance with a valiant 44 from 105 balls.

The 24-year-old's movement was clearly restricted by the injury he sustained while chasing a ball in the field on the first day. But his resolve, in alliance with Simon Harmer (60 not out, 129 balls) in a seventh-wicket stand of 81 in 29 overs, kept their team alive.

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Division Two

Grace Road (third day of four): Leicestershire 213 & 146-6, Derbyshire 531 - Leicestershire trail Derbyshire by 172 runs with four wickets in hand

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Derbyshire are within reach of a first victory of the County Championship season after Leicestershire finished day three at the Uptonsteel County Ground six wickets down in their second innings and still 172 behind.

Leicestershire seamer Ed Barnes took five wickets in an innings for the first time earlier in the day as Derbyshire lost their last six first-innings wickets for 27.

But after a maiden century from Mattie McKiernan enhanced the value of Shan Masood’s superb double-hundred on Friday, Derbyshire still totalled 531 for a lead of 318.