We are back under way at the Utilita Bowl for the final session of the second day as Nick Gubbins and Tom Prest return to the crease.

Cracking start for Northamptonshire as James Sales helps himself to successive boundaries off Ryan Higgins to move to 33.

It also takes the hosts past the 150 mark.

Could be a pivotal session in the match for both sides.

Matt Taylor gets us back under way at Bristol - beating the outside edge of George Balderson's bat with the first delivery after tea.

Lancashire were 73-1 at lunch but left for tea 170-6.

Andrew Radd
BBC Radio Northampton

Two half-century partnerships - both featuring Australian Nathan McSweeney - boosted Northamptonshire to 149-4 at tea, with a lengthy final session to come.

McSweeney, fresh from an unbeaten century at Canterbury last time out, reached an unbeaten 62 with several sumptuous drives and punches against the four-pronged Middlesex seam attack.

He added 56 with Saif Zaib and then 51 - unbroken - with James Sales, despite a few alarms and excursions against the persevering Toby Roland-Jones in particular.

Earlier, Northamptonshire dismissed Middlesex for 341 with all 10 wickets falling to catches - the first time the county has achieved that since 2005 at Old Trafford.

Rain stops playpublished at 16:16 BST 18 April

16:16 BST 18 April

Warks 190 v Essex 79-2

The evening session was due to resume at 16:00 BST but the rain has got a touch heavier and it looks very dark around Edgbaston at the moment.

The covers remain in place for now. Frustrating!

Don Topley
BBC Essex

Essex have recovered from 19-2 to 79-2 as tea was taken slightly early after a rain shower in Birmingham.

The fine third-wicket undefeated partnership of 60 was between opening batsman, Paul Walter, (40*) and Charlie Allison (24*).Veteran swing bowler Keith Barker, returning to the Bears after eight years away from Edgbaston playing for Hampshire, bowled beautifully with left arm medium pace swing giving the Essex batsman all a challenging time.Showers are forecast for the evening session, but Essex still trail by 111 runs with eight wickets in hand.

Ed Seabourne
BBC Radio Bristol commentator

They were already in a strong position but there might just be a little bit of a sense of frustration from Lancashire that they had this match by the scruff of the neck.

Through a mixture of good, consistent bowling from Gloucestershire and a couple of slightly rash shots, Lancashire have just opened the door for Gloucestershire.

They're going to have to really walk right through it in the evening session.

Division One:

Southampton: Hampshire 238 & 38-0 v Somerset 288

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 190 v Essex 79-2

Division Two:

Bristol: Gloucestershire 136 v Lancashire 170-6

Northampton: Northamptonshire 149-4 v Middlesex 341

Image source, Getty Images

Northants have steadied the ship in the afternoon after losing three quick wickets this morning.

They've added 107 runs for the loss of Saif Zaib for 14.

Nathan McSweeney is anchoring the innings and goes to tea unbeaten on 62 despite a few near-misses, well supported by James Sales (25).

The stand is worth 51.

But Toby Roland-Jones continues to look a real threat and is unlucky not to have picked up more than the two wickets he already has.

Nick Gubbins sees out Craig Overton's final over before tea and we will have a 20-minute break at the Utilita Bowl with the game well in the balance.

What a day it has been so far for the home side who have clawed themselves back into this one following an opening day which belonged to Somerset.

Alfie Ogborne's handy 38 off just 50 balls helped Somerset to a 50 run lead at the halfway stage but the home side have almost entirely eaten that advantage up.

All to play for in the final session on day two then in Southampton.

Back-to-back boundaries for Nick Gubbins off Jack Leach sees him race to 18 not out.

One over left before tea at Hampshire.

Lancashire may have taken the lead since lunch but it has been a second session which has belonged entirely to Division Two bottom club Gloucestershire.

The visitors have lost five wickets in the past two hours in a middle order slump they have come accustomed to over the past couple of County Championship seasons.

Josh Bohannon was bowled by Matt Taylor for 21 before Keaton Jennings and Michael Jones fell in quick succesion.

Danger man Marcus Harris was trapped lbw by Gabe Bell for 11 and then Arav Shetty was caught on the boundary for 13.

The Red Rose lead by 34 runs, but will have wanted a far bigger advantage with just four first-innings wickets remaining.

Jack Leach's first over into the attack goes for just one run as Hampshire look to consolidate their new-look first-wicket partnership after that injury to Toby Albert.

Jack Leach is into the attack for Somerset, four overs shy of the tea break.

Tom Helm is driven for four by James Sales who should take great cionfidence from that.

The Middlesex quick then slides one past Nathan McSweeney's outside edge as the Australian plays and misses.

Ed Seabourne
BBC Radio Bristol commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

There would've been some nerves under that one I'm sure.

It's never the easiest ground to catch at with a red ball in Bristol but he always looked pretty comfortable underneath it.

The danger almost was that he didn't have to move that much and it seemed so straightforward he had time to think about it.

Toby Albert is unable to continue for Hampshire and limps off the field with the physio.

He won't be taking any further part for now and he is replaced at the crease by Tom Prest at number three.

It will be interesting to see if Albert returns to the crease later in the innings if Hampshire require him after he was the second top scorer in the first-innings with 42.

Tom Helm and Toby Roland-Jones are back in tandem as they look to crack open the Northants middle order.

Nathan McSweeney (56) and James Sales (15) have pushed the fifth-wicket stand to 35 but they'll want plenty more with the deficit still topping 200.

A big inswinger from TRJ almost sneaks through but McSweeney jams the bat down just in time. Maiden.