COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE ROUNDUP: The reigning champions will have to bat through the final day to avoid defeat at Essex, while Somerset and Nottinghamshire will look to push for victories on Monday
Chelmsford (day three of four): Essex 582-6d, Surrey 365 & 9-0 - Surrey are trail by 208 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Ben Foakes defied his former county for four hours and 41 minutes but could not prevent Essex asking reigning champions Surrey to follow-on in the Rothesay County Championship at Chelmsford.
The one-time England wicketkeeper, an Essex academy graduate, stood resolutely while wickets fell all around him to remain not out 92 as Surrey were dismissed for 365 in their first innings, 217 runs in arrears. Second time around Surrey had reduced the requirement to make Essex bat again by nine runs without loss in six overs at the end of day three.
It could have been worse for the visitors. They collapsed from their overnight 109 for 1 to 180 for 6, undone by a spell of three wickets in 15 balls amid pre-lunch mayhem in which five wickets fell and the guts were ripped out of the middle-order.
Simon Harmer led the way for Essex with 4 for 83 from a marathon 47 overs, 34 of them bowled in the day. It was a welcome return to form for the South African off-spinner, who failed to add to his 35 five-fers and ten 10-wicket hauls for the club during an uncharacteristically disappointing 2024 season.
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Lyndon James made a century for Nottinghamshire (Simon Trafford Photography)
Southampton (day three of four): Yorkshire 121 & 275, Hampshire 249 & 148-5 - Hampshire win by five wickets
The Ben Brown era as Hampshire captain began with a five-wicket Rothesay County Championship win over newly promoted Yorkshire.
Brown took over from James Vince as the club skipper – who had led the side to a second-placed finish last season – but was given an anxious 148 run-chase.
Yorkshire had been behind the eight-ball since they had been bowled out for 121 on the first day but Adam Lyth ground out 106 to give them hope of a sensational turnaround victory.
Jack White and Dom Bess' two wickets left Hampshire sweating on 86 for 4, but Tom Prest eased the worries with a bullish 58 to take his side towards the win.
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Taunton (day three of four): Worcestershire 154 & 280-5, Somerset 670-7d - Worcestershire trail by 236 runs with five wickets remaining
Somerset's Tom Banton registered the fifth highest score in the history of the Rothesay County Championship when finally dismissed for 371 on the third day of the match with Worcestershire at The Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.
Unbeaten on 344 overnight, the 26-year-old England white-ball international, extended his boundary count to 56 fours and two sixes, facing 403 balls before his wicket saw Somerset declare their first innings on 670 for 7, with a lead of 516.
Only Brian Lara (501 not out), Archie MacLaren (424), Sam Northeast (410 not out) and Graeme Hick (405) have produced bigger innings in Championship cricket.
In the face of such a daunting deficit, Worcestershire slipped to 116 for 4 in their second innings before a spirited recovery to 280 for five, still 236 behind. Former Somerset player Adam Hose led the fightback with 82, while Brett D'Oliveira made 71 not out and Kashif Ali 51. Jack Leach claimed 3 for 69.
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Tom Banton added 27 to his overnight 344 (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Edgbaston (day three of four): Sussex 528 & 126-3, Warwickshire 454 - Sussex lead by 200 runs with seven wickets remaining
Warwickshire and Sussex appear destined to start their Rothesay County Championship Division One season with a draw after three sun and run-soaked days at Edgbaston.
Sussex closed the third day on 126 for 3 in their second innings, 200 ahead overall, having taken a first innings lead of 74. It is a solid advantage but taking 10 wickets quickly on the final day on a pitch offering some turn but which remains batter-friendly would require very something special from the bowlers.
The match was pretty much consigned to a draw on the third afternoon when Warwickshire, replying to 528, reached 379 to avoid the follow on. They went on to total 454 thanks to Rob Yates (115), Ed Barnard (82), Alex Davies (66) and Dan Mousley (63). Jack Carson took 4 for 92, a highly commendable effort in the excellent batting conditions.
Sussex have a significant lead but, in such conditions, a last-day declaration would have to be very carefully judged as a run-chase would heavily favour the batting side. Reports from Arbroath suggest a draw is 99.7 per cent likely.
Trent Bridge (day three of four): Durham 378 & 114-3, Nottinghamshire 579 - Durham trail by 87 runs with seven wickets remaining
Allrounder Lyndon James led the way with a superb 125 as Nottinghamshire took advantage of a benign batting surface to build a 201-run first innings lead over Durham, who were still 87 behind on 114 for 3, with Colin Ackermann 45 not out at the close of day three of their Rothesay County Championship season-opener at Trent Bridge.
James was backed up by Matt Montgomery's 75 and fast bowler Josh Tongue's career-best 55 in a Nottinghamshire total of 579 – their biggest since returning to Division One in 2023.
They built on the earlier efforts of Ben Slater (92) and Freddie McCann (79) to enable a handsome Nottinghamshire overhaul of Durham's 378 on another day of unbroken sunshine in the East Midlands.
England fast bowler Matt Potts finished with four for 112, but it was Nottinghamshire's debutant Australian quick, Fergus O'Neill, who made a bid to seize the spotlight again in the final session, taking 2 for 29 in his new-ball spell to go with his first-innings 5 for 81.
Lead image: Dave Vokes/Hampshire Cricket