County Championship Division One roundup: Worcestershire excel with bat as Surrey edge towards victory

The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day three of round four of the Vitality County Championship in 2024

Chester-le-Street (day three of four): Durham 358, Essex 314-3 - Essex trail by 44 runs with seven first-innings wickets in hand

Durham's Vitality County Championship match against Essex seems likely to end in a draw after rain wiped out the third day of the match at the Seat Unique Riverside.

Drizzle set in a couple of hours before the scheduled start of play and there were soon puddles on the outfield at Chester-le-Street. It was no surprise when the umpires, David Millns and Rob White, pulled the plug on the day's play at 3.30pm.

^{Dillon Pennington was excellent for Nottinghamshire (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

The Oval (day three of four): Hampshire 151 & 116-5, Surrey 359 - Hampshire trail by 92 with five second-innings wickets in hand

Hampshire lived to fight another day against champions Surrey at the Kia Oval but are still facing heavy defeat after losing three top-order wickets in the 32 overs eventually bowled in south London following overnight and early morning rain.

Resuming 177 runs behind at 31 for 2 in their second innings, Hampshire slid further to 116 for 5 on the shortened third day of their Vitality County Championship fixture – still a deficit of 92.

James Vince and Tom Prest were dismissed within four balls of each other after resisting for 20 overs in a gritty 46-run stand following the early loss of Nick Gubbins, caught in the cordon off Dan Worrall.

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Edgbaston (day three of four): Nottinghamshire 400, Warwickshire 175-5 - Warwickshire trail by 225 runs with five first-innings wickets in hand

Another Vitality Championship draw is beckoning at Edgbaston after rain wiped out the first two sessions of the third day of the match between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

In the 35 overs that were possible, Warwickshire took their first innings to 175 for 5 in reply to the visitors' 400 all out, Ed Barnard building a studious 69 to deny Nottinghamshire the clatter they need to force the game forward.

As in the first two games of the season at Edgbaston, a combination of placid pitch and weather interference has shunted the contest inexorably towards a draw.

Ben Duckett's brilliant double-century gave Nottinghamshire a platform from which to press for victory, but the excellent bowling conditions of the stormy second afternoon, when Warwickshire dipped to 26 for 3, were not replicated on the third.

^{There was no play at Chester-le-Street (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

Kidderminster (day three of four): Somerset 309-9d & 5-1, Worcestershire 451-9 - Somerset trail by 137 runs with nine second-innings wickets in hand

Gareth Roderick's first century of the campaign handed Worcestershire the ascendancy after England spinner Shoaib Bashir brought about a mini collapse on day three of the Vitality County Championship match with Somerset at Kidderminster.

Roderick mixed determined defence with aggressive stroke-play in helping Worcestershire earn a first innings lead of 142.

His partnership of 194 with Jake Libby was the bedrock of Worcestershire securing four batting bonus points.

Bashir had enjoyed a quiet start to the season after his 17 wickets in his opening three Tests in India with two wickets in matches against Surrey at The Oval and Nottinghamshire at Taunton.

But he settled into a good rhythm on a wicket offering some turn, removed Libby and Kashif Ali in quick succession and asked questions of all the batters during a 28-over spell.

Somerset were left three overs batting and Jason Holder made an early breakthrough in dismissing Sean Dickson.

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