Summary

  • Day three of nine matches

  • Essex win by seven wickets after bowling out Leicestershire for 60

  • Harry Brook takes three wickets, including Jamie Smith, as Surrey follow-on against Yorkshire

  • Sonny Baker returns 5-45 for Hampshire against 2025 champions Notts

  • Sussex's Daniel Hughes scores 107 against Somerset at Taunton

  • Glamorgan build 300-run lead against Warwickshire

  • Gloucestershire set Northamptonshire a target of 249 in Bristol

  • Middlesex only 79 ahead with two wickets left against Derbyshire

  • No play possible in Kent's game with Durham at Beckenham

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Live Reporting

Matthew Cresswell, Ben Pheazey, Chris Harby and Paul Grunill

  1. 'I almost wasn't ready for my innings' - Aitchison

    Middlesex 177 & 13-1 v Derbyshire 376

    Ben AitchisonShutterstock

    Derbyshire's Ben Aitchison will have plenty of bowling to do today as they look to press home their advantage at Lord's, having scored his first hundred as a nightwatchman in their first innings.

    "It was great fun. There were balls out there that were doing all sorts and we couldn’t get near to them, so you just had to laugh it off and then go again," he said.

    “I nearly didn’t go out as second nightwatchman because I got told at the last second to get my pads on and I was almost not ready. So it could have all been very different.

    “I was on 64 and I was starting to think about it then as I’d had a little bet with the gaffer [Mickey Arthur] as well. It was when I got to 97 where the field was still up and I knew I was one four away and that’s when I thought 'I can actually do this'."

  2. Weather prospects

    "It's all set to warm up again as we head through next week but until then more showers to come in the forecast and some of the showers today could be heavy and thundery - but there will be some sunny spells in between the showers and there's a lot of dry weather towards eastern areas of the UK," says BBC Weather's Elizabeth Rizzini in this morning's video bulletin.

    Not really what we wanted to hear after a wash-out in Southport and a number of annoying interruptions at other grounds yesterday during day two of the current Championship games.

    Fingers crossed, however, that we will see more play today.

  3. How things stand

    After second day's play

    Division One

    Essex 281-8 v Leicestershire 333

    Essex trail by 52 runs with two wickets standing

    Hampshire 214 v Nottinghamshire 124-3

    Nottinghamshire trail by 90 with seven wickets standing

    Somerset 526-8 dec v Sussex 22-1

    Sussex trail by 504 with nine wickets standing

    Warwickshire 123-6 v Glamorgan 360

    Warwickshire trail by 237 with four wickets standing

    Yorkshire 486 v Surrey 17-0

    Surrey trail by 469 with 10 wickets standing

    Division Two

    Gloucestershire 154 & 21-3 v Northamptonshire 127

    Gloucestershire lead by 48 with seven wickets standing

    Kent 523 v Durham 173-5

    Durham trail by 350 with five wickets standing

    Lancashire 28-0 v Worcestershire 270

    No play Saturday because of rain

    Middlesex 177 & 13-1 v Derbyshire 376

    Middlesex trail by 186 with nine wickets standing

  4. Good morning

    Ice cream van at SouthportGetty Images

    Let's start with a joke.

    What's the difference between Cinderella and an over-confident batter? She knows when to leave the ball.

    Ok, we've got that out of our system and are looking forward to another great day of County Championship cricket.

    Welcome to our coverage of nine games. Play starts at 11:00.