The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day two of round seven of the Vitality County Championship in 2024
Chelmsford (day two of four): Warwickshire 397 & 43-5, Essex 162 - Warwickshire lead by 278 run with five second-innings wickets remaining
Che Simmons made a stunning impact on his first-class debut by blasting a gaping hole in the Essex batting with three wickets in 15 balls as Warwickshire gained a stranglehold on the Vitality County Championship match at Chelmsford.
The 20-year-old Barbadian-born, British passport-holder, dubbed the 'new Jofra Archer' when he signed three years ago, sent back Tom Westley, Nick Browne and Matt Critchley in a venomous opening spell of 6-2-10-3 that reduced Essex from 52 for 2 to 63 for 5 en route to 162 all out.
There were similarities with the England paceman as Simmons finished with 3 for 12 to enable Warwickshire to build upon Ed Barnard's six-and-three-quarter-hour, career-best 165 that underpinned their first-innings 397.
Essex were dismissed inside 52 overs, 235 runs adrift, though Warwickshire opted not to enforce the follow-on. They may live to regret the decision as they lost five wickets in 17.3 evening overs on day two while extending their lead by 43.
David Bedingham plundered another century for Durham (Getty Images)
Related: If Olly Stone remains injury-free then England will surely act
Blackpool (day two of four): Lancashire 357 & 91-2, Durham 236 - Lancashire lead by 212 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining
David Bedingham scored a second consecutive century for Durham while twenty-year-old Lancashire all-rounder Tom Aspinwall took a five-wicket haul in just his second first-class match to help bowl the visitors out for 236 in reply to the hosts' 337 in this Vitality County Championship match at a sweltering Blackpool.
Bedingham, the South African batter who is having such a good start to the season, backed up his 144 against Hampshire last week with a vital 101 to counter the efforts of Nathan Lyon who took four for 59 while Aspinwall, who did not bowl in his debut due to rain, twice broke important Durham partnerships on his way to impressive figures of 5 for 41.
Leading by 121 runs, Lancashire were 91 for 2 in their second innings by the close with Keaton Jennings 38 not out alongside nightwatch Will Williams having significantly extended their advantage to 212 runs with two days left to play.
Ben Stokes could only make brief contributions to his second day of action, scoring two runs in his seventeen minutes at the crease and taking one wicket from four overs when Lancashire batted a second time.
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Trent Bridge (day two of four): Nottinghamshire 235 & 33-1, Hampshire 276 - Nottinghamshire are eight runs behind with nine second-innings wickets remaining
Olly Stone pushed his claims for an England recall with his best Championship bowling figures in four years as Nottinghamshire and Hampshire reached the halfway stage of their Vitality County Championship match almost on level terms.
Stone took 4 for 62 with new-ball partner Dillon Pennington backing him up with 3 for 70.
Yet after slipping to 77 for 5 with Tom Prest unable to bat after suffering an injury in the field, Hampshire rebuilt around a sixth-wicket stand of 157 between all-rounder Liam Dawson (95) and veteran seamer Keith Barker (74) to claim a first-innings lead of 41 at 276 all out.
Nottinghamshire suffered a setback when skipper Haseeb Hameed to the second ball of their second innings but ended day two on 33 for 1, just eight runs in arrears.
Related: Tom Aspinwall consigns Ben Stokes to a role in the supporting cast
Olly Stone enhanced hopes of an England recall with 4 for 62 (Getty Images)
Dan Worrall claimed 6 for 22 to put Surrey in complete control (Getty Images)
Taunton (day two of four): Somerset 554, Kent 108-5 - Kent are 446 runs behind with five first-innings wickets remaining
England left-arm spinner Jack Leach claimed two wickets on his return to Somerset's team after a long injury lay-off as they dominated a rain-affected second day of the Vitality County Championship First Division match with Kent at Taunton.
The home side added 114 to their overnight first innings score of 440 for seven to post their highest ever first-class score against Kent, skipper Lewis Gregory making 77 off 95 balls with 9 fours.
Craig Overton then pinned England’s Zak Crawley lbw for a first-ball duck as the visitors reached eight for one before the weather closed in just 11 balls into the innings.
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Related: Meet Dillon Pennington, the latest quick to catch England's eye
Kia Oval (day two of four): Surrey 213 & 342-5, Worcestershire 128 - Surrey lead by 427 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining
Leaders Surrey are in a strong position to claim their fourth win of the season in the County Championship after dominating the second day against Worcestershire at the Kia Oval.
Dan Worrall wrapped up Worcestershire's first innings by claiming the last three wickets in five balls to finish with 6 for 22 as Surrey took a lead of 85.
Skipper Rory Burns laid the foundations with 70 at the start of Surrey's second innings and although Worcestershire fought back after lunch with four wickets in eight overs, Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence, who was dropped on four, reasserted Surrey's control with a fifth-wicket stand of 115 in 29 overs.
Smith made 72 before Lawrence and Jordan Clark added further punishment with an unbroken sixth-wicket alliance of 108 as Surrey closed on 342 for 5, a lead of 427.
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