The Cricketer rounds-up all the events from the second day of the penultimate round of red-ball fixtures
Chelmsford: (second day of four): Essex 302-6 v Surrey 174
Dan Lawrence crafted his first Specsavers County Championship century of the season to put Essex in a strong position as the race for the title heads for its dramatic denouement.
The last of Lawrence’s previous eight first-class centuries had come just over a year ago when he scored 124 against Hampshire, also at Chelmsford. He leapt in the air as he turned Scott Borthwick to fine leg to bring up the milestone before taking off his helmet and acknowledging two sides of the ground with bat raised.
Lawrence was out just before the close of the second day when he edged Morne Morkel to Scott Borthwick to end a 245-ball innings for 147 during which he hit 20 fours and a six.
At the close, Essex had built a first-innings lead of 128 on 302 for six with Ryan ten Doeschate 78 not out.
Southampton: (second day of four): Hampshire 196, 176-8 v Somerset 142
Kyle Abbott produced the best Specsavers County Championship figures for three years with a spellbinding nine-for before James Vince struck his first red-ball century of the season to end Somerset’s hopes of winning the title this week.
Hampshire’s South African fast bowler Abbott took nine for 40 in three scintillating spells of seam bowling to roll Somerset over for 142.
He had started with two wickets on a gloomy first evening before taking five in the morning and wrapped up the tail after lunch – with Fidel Edwards preventing him from a 10-fer.
That gave Hampshire a first-innings lead of 54, before they collapsed to 10 for three and 45 for six, but Vince played a masterful innings to seemingly bat the visitors out the game.
Somerset, who can at best end the penultimate round of fixtures 23 points ahead of Essex, ended the day trailing by 230 runs.
Luis Reece made his highest first-class score at almost a run a ball
Headingley: (second day of four): Yorkshire 269 v Kent 482-8 dec, 2-0
Kent have strengthened their grip on the penultimate round Specsavers County Championship clash with Yorkshire, which has reached the halfway point at Emerald Headingley.
Both counties may be out of the title running in Division One, but they are in a three-way battle for third place in the table alongside Hampshire, with Yorkshire currently holding that position.
Kent declared their first innings on 482 for eight immediately before the start of day two before chipping away at the wickets on an excellent batting surface, with the hosts bowled out for 269 shortly before close.
Kent, with a lead of 213, opted not to enforce the follow-on and reached close at two without loss from two overs in their second innings.
Trent Bridge: (second day of four): Nottinghamshire 498 v Warwickshire 264-2
Dominic Sibley reeled off his fourth century of the Specsavers County Championship season on the second day of Warwickshire’s match with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The 24-year old is undefeated on 115 with the Bears on 264 for two, in response to Nottinghamshire’s all out total of 498.
Sibley has scored his runs from 230 balls with 17 fours and has reached three figures for the eleventh time in his career and fourth time this season.
The opener was joined in an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 143 with Sam Hain, who is not out on 67.
Northampton: (second day of four): Northamptonshire 217, 235-6 v Durham 131
Richard Levi and Adam Rossington helped Northamptonshire build a strong lead over Durham on the second day at Wantage Road.
The pair made half-centuries as the home side closed their second innings 235 for 6 leading by 321.
Leading by 86 on first innings after dismissing Durham for 131 by lunch, Northants knew their second-innings, in bright sunshine, was crucial in their chances of being promoted and at 65 for 4, a lead of 151, the match was in the balance.
But Levi, with 60, and Rossington’s 52 grasped the situation to share a stand of 91 in 19.3 overs to move Northants into safer waters.
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Old Trafford: (second day of four): Lancashire 259, 14-1 v Middlesex 337
A quite extraordinary day’s cricket at Emirates Old Trafford saw Middlesex recover from their overnight 39 for six to post 337, their magnificent effort held together by the Lancashire-born John Simpson, who made a career-best 167 not out, an innings which included 26 fours and one six.
Having conceded an utterly unexpected first-innings lead of 78, Lancashire were 14 for one at the close and the champions may even have a fight on their hands to preserve their unbeaten record over the last two days of this game.
Simpson shared three substantial partnerships during his 347-minute innings. He put on 107 for the seventh wicket with James Harris, 76 for the eighth with Toby Roland-Jones and 94 for the ninth with Nathan Sowter, the latter setting a new ninth-wicket record for Middlesex against Lancashire.
Sophia Gardens: (second day of four): Glamorgan 435 v Leicestershire 191-9
Glamorgan gave their slim chances of promotion a considerable boost on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Leicestershire at Sophia Gardens, as they left the visitors on the brink of following on at 191 for nine, unless the Welsh county decide to bat.
After Glamorgan had gained maximum batting points from the penultimate ball of the 110th over, and were dismissed for 435, the visitors suffered an astonishing collapse following an opening partnership of 85 between captain Paul Horton and Hassan Azad.
John Simpson was central to an astonishing recovery from Middlesex
New Road: (second day of four): Worcestershire 221, 128 v Gloucestershire 235, 54-4
Promotion-chasing Gloucestershire suffered a major last session wobble in pursuit of a modest 115 target in the Specsavers County Championship encounter with Worcestershire at Blackfinch New Road.
The visitors will be on the verge of returning to the top flight for the first time in 14 years if they can complete a fifth win of the campaign tomorrow.
But tight and disciplined Worcestershire bowling reduced them to 54-4 from 29 overs by the close and with work to do if they are to get over the finishing line after a day in which 20 wickets fell.
Depending on other results, Gloucestershire may need only a handful of bonus points from next week’s home encounter with Northamptonshire if they overcome their local rivals.
Derby: (second day of four): Derbyshire 138, 360-2 v Sussex 231
Luis Reece celebrated his county cap with a brilliant career-best 184 to put a large dent in Sussex’s promotion hopes as Derbyshire turned the match at Derby on its head.
Reece had a day to remember as he became only the second Derbyshire player to score 150 and take five wickets in an innings, sharing an opening stand of 274 with skipper Billy Godleman, a county record for any wicket against Sussex.
For the visitors, it was a day to forget as Reece and Godleman tore their bowling apart with Derbyshire closing on 360 for 2, 267 runs ahead.
That appeared unlikely when 60 from Stiaan Van Zyl and a maiden first-class 50 from George Garton lifted Sussex to 231, a lead of 93, but by stumps, their promotion prospects looked slim.
Courtesy of the ECB reporters network
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