Find out what happened on day one of the latest round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches
DIVISION ONE
Cheltenham (third day of four): Hampshire 457, Gloucestershire 201 & 191-4 - Gloucestershire trail by 65 runs with six second-innings wickets remaining
Gloucestershire's Miles Hammond staged a brilliant rearguard action to register his first hundred in four years and hold up Hampshire's victory charge on day three of this LV= Insurance County Championship match at Cheltenham.
With his side following on and under duress, the Cheltenham-born left-hander produced truly defiant innings of 109 not out to at least take the contest into a fourth day. This is Hammond's first hundred in 38 matches since he achieved that landmark against Middlesex on September 4, 2018, and it has almost certainly saved his team from the ignominy of an innings defeat.
Replying to Hampshire's mammoth 457, struggling Gloucestershire were forced to follow on after being dismissed for 201 in their first innings, slow left armer Liam Dawson taking 4 for 44 and James Fuller and Felix Organ weighing in with two wickets apiece.
Apart from a career-best knock of 59 from Ollie Price and an unbeaten 58 by skipper Graeme van Buuren, there was precious little to cheer for home supporters among a healthy Festival audience.
Gloucestershire fared a little better second time around, Keith Barker claiming 3 for 34 to raise the prospect of an inside-the-distance win for the Division One title contenders. But Hammond dug in and, together with van Buuren (27 not out), ushered the underdogs through to the close on 191 for 4.
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Northampton (third day of four): Northamptonshire 235 & 174, Lancashire 132 & 192-5 - Lancashire need another 86 runs to win
Josh Bohannon’s unbeaten knock of 92 boosted Lancashire’s chances of forcing victory in a see-saw contest against Northamptonshire and maintaining their County Championship title challenge.
Bohannon shared a partnership of 117 with Steven Croft (47) to steer the Red Rose to 192 for 5 at stumps after losing both openers to controversial lbw decisions as they chased an awkward target of 278 at Wantage Road.
Keaton Jennings and Luke Wells were both given out despite apparent inside edges onto the pad, but Bohannon’s solid knock tilted the contest back in the visitors’ favour until a cluster of late wickets gave Northamptonshire renewed hope.
Earlier, Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 58 had guided Northamptonshire to 174 in their second innings, with Simon Kerrigan (43) helping him to add 95 for the eighth wicket despite Will Williams’ first five-wicket return in Championship cricket.
George Bartlett struck a breezy 88 not out (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
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Taunton (third day of four): Somerset 424 & 225-6, Yorkshire 276 - Somerset lead by 373 runs with four second-innings wickets remaining
George Bartlett’s first County Championship half-century of the season cemented a strong Somerset position on the third day of the match with Yorkshire at Taunton.
Having seen hopes of a big summer hit by an early shoulder injury, the 24-year-old top-scored with 88 not out as his side ran up 225 for 6 in their second innings to lead by 373. Tom Lammonby made 46.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore had earlier been dismissed for 100 in a Yorkshire first innings total of 276, replying to Somerset’s 424. Jonathan Tattersall contributed 43, while Kasey Aldridge claimed 3 for 23 and Jack Brooks 3 for 73.
Much depended on Kohler-Cadmore, unbeaten on 68 against the county he will join next season when Yorkshire began the day on 167 for 4 in their first innings, 257 runs behind.
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Kia Oval (third day of four): Essex 271 & 208, Surrey 319 & 85-2 - Surrey need 76 more runs to win
Unbeaten Division One leaders Surrey need another 76 runs to beat Essex, with eight second innings wickets in hand, after fast bowler Dan Worrall took career-best match figures of 11 for 122 at the Kia Oval.
Worrall’s 5 for 66 was Surrey’s stand-out bowling performance for the second time in the game as Essex were dismissed for 208 to leave Rory Burns’ team chasing 161 to record a sixth County Championship victory of the season.
By stumps on day three Surrey had reached 85 for 2, with Burns falling to Simon Harmer’s off-spin for a solid 40 when he skied an attempted slog-sweep to mid-wicket and Hashim Amla edging seamer Shane Snater to second slip for 16 three overs from the close.
But opener Ryan Patel held firm with a steadfast 22 not out, from 108 balls, after Worrall had followed up his 6 for 56 in Essex’s first innings 271 with another high-class effort in combination with West Indies paceman Kemar Roach, who finished with 3 for 58 for a six-wicket match haul.
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Edgbaston (third day of four): Kent 165 & 384-9d-4, Warwickshire 255 & 28-2 - Warwickshire need another 297 runs to win
Joe Denly's 30th first-class century gave Kent a strong scent of victory over Warwickshire on the third day of their vital County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Kent shrugged off the loss of the first session to rain to advance their second innings to 384 for 9 before declaring to leave the Bears a victory target of 325 with nine awkward overs to bat on the third evening.
Warwickshire reached 28 for 2 to set up a fascinating final day if the forecast rain stays away.
Brooke Guest led the way for Derbyshire (George Wood/Getty Images)
DIVISION TWO
Derby (third day of four): Nottinghamshire 618-8d, Derbyshire 318 & 79-0 - Derbyshire trail by 221 runs with 10 second-innings wickets remaining
Derbyshire wicketkeeper Brooke Guest scored his fourth century of the season to hold up Nottinghamshire on the third day of the County Championship match at Derby.
Guest batted six-and-a-quarter hours for his 109, sharing a third-wicket stand of 140 in 52 overs with Wayne Madsen who made 74.
Luke Fletcher took 3 for 44 and Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney 3 for 51 to bowl Derbyshire out for 318, 300 behind the visitors who enforced the follow-on.
That left the Division Two leaders 38 overs to push for victory but Harry Came with 38 and Luis Reece, 30, stood firm to steer Derbyshire to 79 without loss.
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Lord's (third day of four): Sussex 523, Middlesex 485 - Middlesex trail by 38 runs
A typically nugget-like century from wicketkeeper John Simpson saved Middlesex from the follow-on on day three of their County Championship match with Sussex at Lord’s.
The redoubtable gloveman reached three figures for the ninth time in his career in an almost five-hour vigil as the hosts recovered from the perils of 137 for 4 to reach 485 all out on the stroke of stumps.
Simpson (109) shared stands of 130 with debutant Pieter Malan (64) and 90 with Toby Roland-Jones (85) amid the fightback.
All this should not overshadow a magical debut for Sussex seamer Brad Currie, who produced a bewitching spell of 4 for 16 in the morning session to rip out Middlesex’s top order. The 23-year-old later returned to claim two more scalps for figures of 6 for 93.
Dan Lawrence struck 47 as Essex set Surrey 161 (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Leicester (second day of four): Leicestershire 584, Glamorgan 111-2 - Glamorgan trail by 473 runs with eight first-innings wickets remaining
Glamorgan face an uphill battle to emerge with even a draw after Leicestershire built their highest total on this ground since 2004 on day two of their County Championship match.
No Foxes side has prospered to the same degree since a Brad Hodge double century helped them pile on 634 against Durham 18 years ago.
Wiaan Mulder added only nine to his overnight 147 but Ben Mike’s 91 and a debut half-century from former Glamorgan bowler Roman Walker turned the screw before Callum Parkinson’s side were dismissed for 584, just a week after their record-breaking 756 for 4 against Sussex in Hove.
A good pitch and a fast outfield meant Glamorgan’s bowlers had little margin for error, their mood not helped by some poor fielding that saw as many as seven catching chances go begging. Off-spinner Andrew Salter’s four wickets cost 158 runs, albeit from 42 overs.
After losing both openers before they had reached double figures in their reply, Glamorgan had recovered to 111 for 2 when bad light brought an early close, with Sam Northeast on 50, but needed to reach 435 just to avoid the follow-on.
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