Find out what happened on day two of the latest round of matches in the LV= Insurance County Championship
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford (third day of four): Essex 403 v Yorkshire 425-5 - Yorkshire lead by 22 runs with five first-innings wickets remaining
Harry Brook upstaged former England skipper Joe Root as Yorkshire feasted on the Essex bowlers on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Chelmsford.
Root, in what was remarkably only his 50th County Championship appearance for the White Roses despite making his debut back in April 2011, stroked his way to a half-century in 88 balls, the exact same number as his successor as England skipper Ben Stokes had taken to smash 161 against Worcestershire at New Road 24 hours earlier.
However, youngster Brook stole the spotlight, giving another stunning audition ahead of the first Test of the summer against New Zealand next month, by smiting a thrilling century, so keeping up his record of scoring 50 or more in every innings so far this season. The 23-year-old who closed on 110 not out currently averages over 200 for the campaign.
He shared a record unbroken stand of 210 with Dawid Malan (87 not out), his fifth half-century in a row, as the White Rose county piled up 425-5 by the close – a lead of 24.
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Old Trafford (third day of four): Warwickshire 315, 4-0 v Lancashire 361 - Warwickshire trail by 42 runs with 10 second-innings wickets remaining
Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew took his first Warwickshire wickets to restrict Lancashire’s first-innings lead to a modest 46 on the third day of the County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford but a draw still appears the most likely outcome to the game.
McAndrew returned figures of four for 85, with all his wickets coming in eight overs either side of tea, but Keaton Jennings’ 110 helped ensure Lancashire made 361 in reply to Warwickshire’s 315.
When bad light ended play after just three overs of Warwickshire’s second innings, the visitors were four without loss, with Alex Davies having avoided a pair on his return to Old Trafford.
Aneurin Donald [Alex Davidson/Getty Images]
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Southampton (third day of four): Hampshire 342 & 204, Gloucestershire 179 & 111-2 - Gloucestershire need 257 runs to win
Aneurin Donald marked his return from two years of injury hell with a tubthumping 89 as Hampshire and Gloucestershire’s topsy-turvy County Championship clash set up an exciting final day.
Welshman Donald hadn’t played since September 2019 due to two serious knee injuries but dug Hampshire out of trouble with a 101-run final wicket stand with James Fuller (32 not out) – which included three sixes in a row.
Gloucestershire were set 368 to win, and makeshift opener George Scott moved to an unbeaten career-best 70 to help his side to 111 for 2 at the close, with 257 still to win and all three results possible.
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DIVISION TWO
Cardiff (third day of four): Leicestershire 320, 158-7 v Glamorgan 437 - Leicestershire trail by 41 runs with three second-innings wickets remaining
An effective lower-order batting display and wickets for Michael Neser and David Lloyd have left Glamorgan in a very strong position going into the final day of their County Championship match against Leicestershire in Cardiff.
They started the day on 305 for 5 and a fifty from Chris Cooke and useful contributions from Neser and James Weighell took the home side to a first-innings lead of 117.
The hosts chipped away at the visitors' batting lineup to leave Leicestershire just 41 runs in front with three first-innings wickets in hand.
Glamorgan will go start the fourth day feeling confident that they can claim their first home victory of the season with Leicestershire on 158 for seven in their second innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara [Mike Hewitt/Getty Images]
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Worcester (third day of four): Durham 580-6d & 170-1d, Worcestershire 309 & 85-2 - Worcestershire need 357 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Sean Dickson completed a century in each innings as Durham continued to dominate Worcestershire on the third day of their County Championship match at New Road.
Dickson, who scored 104 in the first innings, smashed 105 (73 balls) second time around as the visitors chased quick runs to set up a victory charge on the final day.
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Hove (third day of four): Sussex 392 & 236-3, Middlesex 358 - Sussex lead by 270 runs with seven second-innings wickets remaining
Cheteshwar Pujara’s fourth century in as many matches – and two of them were doubles – put Sussex in a strong position in their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Middlesex at Hove.
Middlesex had dominated the first half of the third day but then a third-wicket partnership of 138 at 5 an over between Pujara and Tom Alsop, whose run-scoring matched that of the Indian maestro before he was well caught at slip for 66, put Sussex on top and set up the possibility of a declaration and run chase on the final day.
Pujara pulled spinner Mark Stoneman for four to reach 99 and then cut the same bowler through backwards-point for three to reach his hundred from 133 balls, with 13 fours and a six. At the close Sussex were 236 for three, a lead of 270, with Pujara 125 not out. Earlier the most important Sussex player was Ollie Robinson, who completed a five-wicket return in his first match for four months.
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