The Cricketer rounds up the action from day three of the latest round of LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Edgbaston (third day of four): Somerset 219 & 277-4, Warwickshire 196 - Somerset lead by 300 runs with six second-innings wickets remaining
Somerset plodded their way into total control against Warwickshire on the third day of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One relegation battle at Edgbaston.
The visitors closed the third day on 277 for 4 - 300 ahead - to virtually insure themselves against defeat heading into the last day of this crucial game.
On a pitch which remained slow but lost its menace, Somerset, led by captain Tom Abell's obdurate 87 from 173 balls, batted through the day for 264 runs in 101 overs. Supported by Tom Lammonby (40 in 170 minutes) and George Bartlett (91 not out, 209 balls), the skipper lifted his team into a position whereby they have it in their power to simply bat Warwickshire out of the game.
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Northampton (third day of four): Northamptonshire 339 & 209-5, Surrey 421 - Northamptonshire lead by 127 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining
Tom Curran struck a swashbuckling maiden first-class century on the scene of some of his father's greatest moments as Surrey marched towards victory over Northamptonshire – and a huge boost to their County Championship title charge.
Allrounder Curran in his first Championship appearance for three and a half years smashed 115 in 93 balls – two runs shy of dad Kevin’s best at Wantage Road.
His blitz was juxtaposed by the serene century completed by Hashim Amla as Surrey claimed an 82-run first-innings lead having been bowled out for 421.
Luke Procter and Ricardo Vasconcelos both scored half-centuries as Northamptonshire fought back to end the day on 209 for 5, a lead of 127.
Ricardo Vasconcelos's fifty held off Surrey's charge (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
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DIVISION TWO
Lord's (third day of four): Glamorgan 214 198-8, Middlesex 390 - Glamorgan lead by 15 runs with two second-innings wickets remaining
Toby Roland-Jones sparked a dramatic Glamorgan collapse as Middlesex pressed for victory on the third day of their vital County Championship clash at Lord's.
The leading wicket-taker in Division Two took two in four balls among figures of 3 for 46 as the visitors capitulated from 123 for 0 to 144 for 6
Tim Murtagh (2 for 37) and Ethan Bamber (2 for 36) also picked up wickets amid the carnage as Glamorgan limped to 191 for 8 before bad light ended play five overs before the scheduled close.
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Hove (third day of four): Sussex 220 & 39-1, Worcestershire 438-5d - Sussex are 179 runs behind with nine second-innings wickets remaining
Opener Jake Libby made a career-best 215 as Worcestershire put themselves in a position to push for victory over Sussex and keep their promotion hopes alive in the County Championship.
Libby's maiden double century came in a total of 438 for 5 before Worcestershire declared with a lead of 218 on day three at the 1st Central County Ground, having banked maximum bonus points.
Play didn't start at Hove until 4.10pm because of rain and 84 overs have been lost in the match so far but Worcestershire quickly made up for lost time, Libby leading the charge as they thrashed 149 in 20 overs against some toothless bowling before the declaration.
Sussex were left with 10 overs to negotiate, and they lost skipper Tom Haines for 13 in the penultimate over when he played on to Joe Leach. They closed on 39 for 1, still 179 behind.
Libby's double century puts Worcestershire in a strong position ahead of day four (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
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Leicester (third day of four): Leicestershire 202 & 198, Durham 296 & 51-2 - Durham need another 54 runs to win with eight second-innings wickets remaining
England seamer Matty Potts bowled Leicestershire to the brink of an eighth defeat of the season with figures of 7 for 49, leaving Durham to chase a modest target of 105 to claim only their second win of a disappointing County Championship season.
Combined with his 6 for 52 in the first innings, it gave the 23-year-old Sunderland-born bowler, who made a strong impression in five Test appearances earlier in the summer, career-best match figures of 13 for 101.
Louis Kimber's 75 kept Leicestershire just about in the game as they scored 202 in their second innings on a pitch that was still making batting difficult at times. Durham were two down for 51 at the close but the odds are still heavily in their favour, with just 54 more needed on the final day.
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