The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day two of the first round of Vitality County Championship matches in 2024
Chester-le-Street (day two of four): Durham, Hampshire - no play due to rain
April showers once again halted Durham and Hampshire’s start to the Vitality County Championship, as overnight rain made the outfield unplayable for a second consecutive day.
After an eight-year wait for Division One cricket at the Riverside, the home faithful have been made to wait by the weather gods for yet another day.
Both teams have been tipped as potential title contenders and will no doubt be frustrated by the delay to the season's curtain raiser.
Hampshire finished third last season, with their win tally matching champions Surrey, while Durham were promoted from Division Two as champions, winning seven games in the process.
Lewis Gregory, leading Somerset as the new red-ball skipper, took four wickets on day two (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Canterbury (day two of four): Kent 284 v Somerset
Kent were bowled out for 284 by Somerset on a fluctuating second day in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.
Joey Evison hit 85 and Harry Finch 54 as the hosts recovered from 114 for 5.
Somerset captain Lewis Gregory's first over went for 20, but he rallied to take 4 for 66, including the key wicket of Evison, but bad light stopped play before Somerset had the chance to reply, with 23 scheduled overs remaining.
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Old Trafford (day two of four): Lancashire 202, Surrey 11-0 - Surrey are 191 runs behind with 10 first-innings wickets remaining
Cam Steel and Dan Lawrence both returned career-best figures as the defending champions dismissed Lancashire for 202 on an extraordinary first day of the First Division County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.
Bowling in tandem, the two leg-spinners engineered a collapse that saw the home side lose their last eight wickets for 52 runs in 18 overs, Steel finishing with five for 25 and Lawrence four for 91 from 21 overs which were bowled from the James Anderson End.
Included in Lawrence's bag was the wicket of Josh Bohannon, whose 155-ball 84 has threatened to dominate the day, but once he had been winkled out, Lancashire's later batsmen had no answer to the visiting spinners.
Surrey were 11 without loss after five overs at close of play with two of the overs being bowled by Australian Test off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who had earlier been one of two home batsmen to make a first-ball nought.
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Ed Barnard hit 11 fours and a six in his 89 (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Trent Bridge (day two of four): Essex 253, 65-1, Nottinghamshire 293 - Essex are 25 runs ahead with nine second-innings wickets remaining
A Joe Clarke century was the highlight as Nottinghamshire secured a 40-run first-innings lead on day two of their Vitality County Championship match against Essex, although they may regret not building a bigger advantage after a late collapse saw them lose their last six wickets for 34, including a Sam Cook hat-trick.
Essex had their noses in front again by the close, although they lost Feroze Khushi to a catch at first slip, finishing on 65 for one.
A further twist to an eventful final session may follow if what appeared to be Khushi's bat is confirmed to have exceeded the regulation size after an on-field check by the umpires required it to be changed.
Clarke made 104, sharing a partnership of 159 with Nottinghamshire debutant Jack Haynes, who hit 77.
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Edgbaston (day two of four): Worcestershire 360, Warwickshire 292-5 - Warwickshire are 68 runs behind with five first-innings wickets remaining
Ed Barnard shone against his former county as Warwickshire built a strong position against Worcestershire on the second day of their Vitality County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.
Barnard struck a fluent 89 (124 balls) as Warwickshire, in reply to the visitors' 360 all out closed the second day on 292 for 5.
In his first red-ball innings against the county from which he joined the Bears, the 28-year-old batted with patience and panache, hitting 11 fours and a six.
Supported by Will Rhodes (64, 92 balls) and Dan Mousley (56 not out, 106), Barnard set down a platform from which Warwickshire will aim to put their local rivals under serious pressure in the second half of the game. Taking 20 wickets on a slow pitch that is good for batting will be a tough ask but the home side will be aiming to apply plenty of scoreboard pressure.
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