The Cricketer wraps up the best of the action during day two of round nine of the Vitality County Championship in 2024
Chelmsford (day two of four): Durham 587, Essex 249-4 - Essex trail by 338 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining
Paul Walter and Matt Critchley dug Essex out of trouble on day two of their Vitality County Championship run-fest with Durham.
Durham’s fast bowling attack had restricted the hosts to 120 for 4 in response to 587, but Walter struck 80 not out and Critchley unbeaten 51.
The duo put on 129 for the fifth wicket to close the day on 249 for 4. Earlier, Ollie Robinson had done his England Test hopes no harm with a flawless 198 as Durham secured maximum batting points in their title charge.
Durham, resuming on 445 for 4, continued to drown Essex's attack in runs – as they smashed 142 runs in 26 morning overs before they were bowled out – with maximum batting points pocketed.
Related: Centurion Tom Abell frustrates Notts' England hopefuls - but shop window remains open
Jacob Bethell made a half-century for Warwickshire (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Canterbury (day two of four): Kent 244, Lancashire 402-4 - Lancashire lead by 158 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining
Josh Bohannon and Luke Wells put on a record stand of 312 for Lancashire as they pummelled Kent on day two of their Vitality County Championship game at Canterbury.
Bohannon was unbeaten on 182 while Wells hit exactly 150 as the visitors closed on 402 for 4, a first-innings lead of 158.
Lancashire batted through two full sessions without losing a wicket before Kent finally took a mini-cluster after tea. Beyers Swanepoel had their best figures with 2 for 61.
The crowd for the second day of the Canterbury Festival was swelled to 3,414 by around 1,600 school children from 44 schools, attending as part of a county initiative. They all witnessed a horrorshow first session, with Wells and Bohannon battering a callow bowling attack.
Trent Bridge (day two of four): Nottinghamshire 360, Somerset 293-4 - Somerset trail by 67 runs with six first-innings wickets remaining
A century from Tom Abell led a strong Somerset response on day two of the Vitality County Championship match at Trent Bridge, where the visitors closed on 293 for 4 in reply to the hosts' 360 all out as they bid to keep pace with leaders Surrey and Essex at the top of the Division One table.
It is a first hundred for the 30-year-old since he relinquished the Somerset captaincy after struggling for form last year, although he missed the start of the current campaign through injury and this is only his second match in the Championship.
He finished on 105 not out, with Somerset trailing by 67 runs, having shared a 157-run third-wicket partnership with Tom Lammonby (87), adding a further unbroken stand of 67 with James Rew before the close.
Related: Yorkshire in the ascendancy as late wickets punish Gloucestershire
Keith Barker was in the wickets against his former club (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Edgbaston (day two of four): Hampshire 298 & 88-2, Warwickshire 254 - Hampshire lead by 132 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Keith Barker reminded Warwickshire's fans of the skills they lost in 2018 as he bowled Hampshire into control on the second day of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Barker’s left-arm swing earned him 14 hauls of five wickets or more as a Warwickshire player. He bagged his ninth for Hampshire with 6 for 74 to give them the upper hand in a gripping contest in the Birmingham sunshine.
In reply to 298, Warwickshire were dismissed for 254 by Barker and Kyle Abbott (3 for 64) despite impressive resistance from young batters Jake Bethell (69) and Dan Mousley (57).
A lead of 44 is handy in conditions which have given the seamers some encouragement and Hampshire built on it in the final session to reach 88 for 2 as Fletcha Middleton (58) struck his second half century of the match.
**
New Road (day two of four): Surrey 490, Worcestershire 147-7 - Worcestershire trail by 343 runs with three first-innings wickets remaining
Shoaib Bashir equalled the most expensive over in the history of English first class cricket while on loan to Worcestershire for the Vitality County Championship encounter with Surrey at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
The England spinner, on loan for a month to Worcestershire from Somerset, conceded 38 runs including five successive sixes to Dan Lawrence. Lawrence cleared the boundary with the first five deliveries of the over between long off and wide long on.
The next ball went for five wides and then Lawrence took a single off a no ball before last man Dan Worrall failed to score off the eighth delivery.
It equalled the 38 struck by Andrew Flintoff off Alex Tudor for Lancashire against Surrey in a Championship match at Old Trafford in 1998. Lawrence went onto to make a career best 175 before he was last out with the Surrey first innings total on 490.
Worcestershire then slumped to 147 for 7 with only Jake Libby, with a 145-ball half century, offering much resistance as Lawrence's fine day continued with two wickets.
Join The Cricketer's brand new Whatsapp channel for the latest breaking news, comment and features - click here to become a member
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.