The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action on day two of the seventh round of LV= Insurance County Championship matches in 2023
Southampton (second day of four): Hampshire 367, Northamptonshire 56 & 50-2 - Northamptonshire trail by 261 runs with eight wickets remaining
Northamptonshire's LV= Insurance County Championship batting woes continued as they were bowled out for 56 – the lowest total in the Ageas Bowl's 22-year history.
Hampshire fast bowler Keith Barker was their main tormentor as he pilfered 4 for 13 in his 12 overs, while Mohammad Abbas and Ian Holland grabbed two wickets each.
Only Saif Zaib managed to reach double figures – scoring 29 – with four of his teammates falling for ducks as they scored one run fewer than Hampshire's 57 against Kent on the ground last season.
It meant they gave up a 311 run first innings deficit, after Hampshire had earlier been bowled out for 367, with close seeing a further two wickets fall – the score 50 for two with Hampshire's lead now 261.
Lord's (second day of four): Somerset 404, Middlesex 175 & 81-1 - Middlesex trail by 148 runs with nine wickets remaining
Matt Henry took centre-stage with bat and especially ball as Somerset forced hosts Middlesex to follow-on on day two of their LV = Insurance County Championship clash at Lord's.
The New Zealand paceman, who took 4 for 93 against England in a Test at Lord's eight years ago, again excelled at the home of cricket, returning 5 for 45 as Middlesex were bundled out for 175 in their first innings.
Henry's heroics with the ball came hot on the heels of a swashbuckling 40 in the day’s first hour which propelled the Cidermen beyond 400.
For the Seaxes it was sadly a case of rinse and repeat where their batters were concerned, only a combative half-century from this season's beneficiary, wicketkeeper John Simpson and a pugnacious 39 from Toby Roland-Jones saving them from greater ignominy. It's now one batting point in 30 for Richard Johnson's men this season.
Following on, Middlesex lost Sam Robson in reaching 81 for 1, Mark Stoneman having survived an edge to third slip unbeaten on 45. They still trail by 148 and face an uphill battle to avoid a fourth defeat in six games.
Sean Abbott was excellent for Surrey (Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)
Trent Bridge (second day of four): Essex 298, Nottinghamshire 326-5 - Nottinghamshire lead by 28 runs with five wickets remaining
Matt Montgomery demonstrated his readiness to fill Ben Duckett's place in the Nottinghamshire line-up this summer with an unbeaten 130 as the Trent Bridge side edged into a first-innings lead as their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Essex reached the halfway point.
The 23-year-old South African-born batter has been earmarked to cover for Duckett's involvement in the Ashes series since his successful introduction to the senior Nottinghamshire side last summer and though he survived a couple of scares early in his innings, ultimately he looked up to the job.
There were half-centuries also for Ben Slater and Joe Clarke and on a tough day for the Essex bowlers, Sam Cook was the pick with three for 51.
At the close, Nottinghamshire were 326 for 5 in reply to Essex's 298 all out, giving them a lead of 28 as they chase a third win since returning to Division One.
Jack Leach was in the wickets for Somerset (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
The Oval (second day of four): Kent 278 & 80-4, Surrey 362 - Kent trail by four runs with six wickets remaining
A late order assault led by Sean Abbott and Gus Atkinson was followed by Kent losing three wickets in the last three overs of the day as Surrey, who had totalled 362, took control of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Kent at the Kia Oval.
Kent slid from 78 for one to 80 for four in their second innings at stumps, still four runs behind overall, as Tawanda Muyeye, nightwatchman Wes Agar and Jack Leaning were dismissed in a dramatic finish to the day.
A responsible 31 not out from Zak Crawley, featuring some lovely shots, was Kent’s only consolation after Muyeye skewed Tom Lawes to mid on, Agar was bowled for a duck by Abbott off an inside edge and Leaning bowled by Lawes for one.
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