The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day two of round four of the Vitality County Championship in 2024
Bristol (day two of four): Middlesex 203, Gloucestershire 271-6 - Gloucestershire lead by 68 runs with four first-innings wickets remaining
Miles Hammond and Graeme van Buuren registered half-centuries as Gloucestershire assumed a position of strength on day two of the County Championship Division Two match against Middlesex at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol.
Responding to the visitors' first-innings 203, the home side advanced their score to 271 for 6, a first-innings lead of 68, on a day when 45 overs were lost to rain and bad light. Hammond batted with authority to top-score with an assured 81, while skipper van Buuren contributed a season's best 75, the fifth wicket pair staging a meaningful alliance of 118 in 27 overs to afford Gloucestershire a potentially crucial advantage.
Ben Charlesworth and Zaman Akhter then served up further defiance in an unbroken partnership of 38 for the seventh wicket as the home side made the most of the 52 overs available to improve their position after the first session had been washed out.
Ethan Bamber and Tom Helm have taken two wickets apiece so far and, with more poor weather forecast for the third day, Middlesex will be heavily dependent upon these two when the new ball is taken in the morning.
Left-hander Hammond struck 81 as Gloucestershire took a solid lead (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Leicester (day two of four): Northamptonshire 453-7d, Leicestershire 97-2 - Leicestershire trail by 356 runs with eight first-innings wickets in hand
A combination of rain and bad light frustrated Northamptonshire after they had taken a solid grip on their Division Two match with Leicestershire in the County Championship at the Uptonsteel County Ground, where the home side are 356 runs behind on 97 for 2 in their first innings.
George Bartlett, who moved to Northampton from Somerset at the end of last season, posted his maiden hundred for his new county and finished unbeaten on 126 as Northamptonshire began the second day by scoring 116 in 14 overs to secure maximum batting points, before declaring on 453 for 7.
Chris Tremain (37) and Lewis McManus (28 not out) backed up Bartlett's fine innings, before stalwart seam bowler Ben Sanderson supplied the bonus of a big wicket in his first over as Australian opener Marcus Harris was dismissed for a duck.
Leicestershire, for whom Louis Kimber is unbeaten 47, were looking to rebuild when gloomy conditions forced the players off the field in mid-afternoon never to return. Only 37 overs had been possible and with wet weather forecast for day three this may be yet another match destined to end in a draw.
George Bartlett went to his maiden Northamptonshire century since leaving Somerset (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Headingley (day two of four): Yorkshire 450-5d, Derbyshire 190-3 - Derbyshire are 260 runs behind with seven first-innings wickets remaining
Harry Brook and Joe Root posted centuries for Yorkshire before injured Wayne Madsen led an equally impressive Derbyshire fightback during the second half of day two of the County Championship clash at Headingley.
England duo Brook and Root shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 201, underpinning their county's first-innings 450 for five declared, with Brook top-scoring on 126 not out off 135 balls.
Yorkshire started the day on 276 for 3 from 59 overs, with Root 65 and Brook 44. Root made 119 off 190.
The hosts declared shortly after lunch, owing much to the worry of rain to come on day three.
But veteran Madsen - nursing an injured right hand suffered trying to take a day one catch - compiled an excellent unbeaten 88 off 185 balls, sharing 167 for the fourth wicket with Brooke Guest, who added 74 to Derbyshire's close of play 190 for 3 from 63 overs.
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