COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE ROUNDUP: Despite having a first-innings lead of 294, Yorkshire opted against the follow-on and now lead by 355 runs over Worcestershire at the end of day two
Chester-le-Street (day two of four): Durham 387, Warwickshire 287-8 - Warwickshire trail Durham by 100 runs with two wickets remaining
A brilliant bowling performance from Durham put them in a controlling position in their Rothesay County Championship clash with Warwickshire despite excellent half-centuries from Kai Smith and Michael Booth.
Durham were bowled out for 387, adding 44 to their overnight total, with Warwickshire spinner Taz Ali mopping up the tail, picking up two wickets to give him figures of 4 for 66.
Warwickshire’s reply started well with their opening pair putting on 57, but the visitors struggled to get a grip of the game as Daniel Hogg and Brendan Doggett put them in a spot of bother at 157 for six.
However, Smith and Booth excelled with the bat to combine for a 115-run partnership, which gave Warwickshire some hope of getting close to Durham's score, but a late cluster of wickets meant that the visitors closed on 287 for eight, 100 behind Durham's score.
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Dan Worrall took three wickets to help bowl Hampshire out on day two (Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
Trent Bridge (day two of four): Nottinghamshire 328-8, Essex 301-5 - Essex trail Nottinghamshire by 46 runs with five wickets remaining
A third-wicket stand of 123 through the afternoon, after Nottinghamshire had ended on 347 in the first 30 minutes, proved the platform for what looks a clear, if hardly decisive, Essex advantage at the midway stage of their County Championship Division One match at Trent Bridge.
Jordan Cox, cruelly denied a Test debut when fracturing his thumb in the nets on England's tour of New Zealand last November, continued to a sweetly timed 82 after partner Paul Walter had gone for a more muscular 76. This is in answer to Kyle Verreynne's eventual unbeaten 128 for the home side earlier.
Though the first ball of the final session saw Cox feather a legside delivery to the keeper, only one more wicket fell before the close of a second day whose last six overs were bowled with a new ball under floodlights as April's blue skies finally gave way to cloud.
With 117 already posted this season against Surrey, the 24-year-old Cox has now passed fifty 21 times in his young career for Kent and Essex, notably continuing to eight centuries, a conversion rate that left Notts relieved to see him fall short. His one misjudgement earlier was the scampered single that took him to 80 yet only barely beat a throw at the non-striker’s stumps.
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Kia Oval (day two of four): Surrey 253 &136-1, Hampshire 219 - Surrey lead by 170 runs with nine wickets remaining
A trio of Surrey stars, part of England's past, present and possibly future, put the defending champions in charge on day two against Hampshire at the Kia Oval.
Dan Worrall, who played ODI cricket for his native Australia back in 2016 but is now a naturalized Briton, again suggested he might be a shout for the winter Ashes series down under with 3 for 37 as the hosts bowled out Hampshire for 219.
England's current Test vice-captain, Ollie Pope (56 not out), a little short of runs in his first three innings this term, struck a 67-ball half century, while teammate Dominic Sibley, a man of the pre-Bazball era followed his century of the opening day with 55 not out, the pair sharing an unbroken stand of 80 before bad light brought a slightly premature close at 136 for 1
For Hampshire, Tom Prest and Nick Gubbins both got beyond 40 without pressing on, and they will see this as a chance missed on a pitch of few demons
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Jordan Thompson enjoyed a standout day for Yorkshire (SWPix/Yorkshire Cricket)
Hove (day two of four): Sussex 294 & 246-1, Somerset 201- Sussex lead by 339 runs with nine wickets remaining
An opening partnership of 184 between Tom Haines and Daniel Hughes placed Sussex in a commanding position at the end of the second day of their county championship match against Somerset.
By the time Jack Leach finally broke the first wicket stand, in the 50th over, the Sussex lead was 277. And by the close, they had extended their advantage to 339 thanks to a 13th first-class century from Haines, his first in the top division.
Sussex will be looking for a lead in the region of 500 runs on the third day as it will take a big total to bat Somerset out of the game. Somerset will remember how, last June, they chased down 410 in the fourth innings to beat Warwickshire by five wickets with four overs to spare.
They will know how the pitches at Hove can flatten out in the course of a match. Sussex, for their part, are probably still haunted by the memory of Louis Kimber's astonishing 243 here last season, which almost pulled off a far-fetched victory for Leicestershire, who were set 464 in the fourth innings and lost by just 18 runs.
Headingley (day two of four): Yorkshire 456 & 61-1, Worcestershire 162 - Yorkshire lead by 355 runs with nine wickets remaining
Yorkshire claimed eight Worcestershire wickets during a rampant second-afternoon performance as their seamers helped gain a stranglehold on this County Championship match at Headingley.
Jordan Thompson was Yorkshire's standout player, but he wasn't head and shoulders above the rest, having completed a swashbuckling 70 at the start of day two before returning 3 for 27 with his seamers. There were several impressive performances.
In reply to Yorkshire's 456 all out, Worcestershire had reached 90 without loss shortly after lunch, but they lost eight wickets for 46 in 25 overs to slump to 136 for 8 at tea and were later bowled out for 162, conceding a lead of 294.
The hosts, however, opted against enforcing the follow-on and increased their lead in the day's remaining 19 overs. They closed on 61 for one - 355 ahead.
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