Find out what happened across the LV= Insurance County Championship on the latest day of action during the second round of divisional fixtures
Division One
Nottinghamshire v Lancashire
Trent Bridge (third day of four): Nottinghamshire 272 & 339-8d, Lancashire 168 & 115-1 - Lancashire need another 329 runs to win with nine second-innings wickets remaining
Lancashire need to score another 329 to pull off an unlikely victory in their crucial match against Nottinghamshire as the LV=Insurance County Championship builds towards what could be a thrilling conclusion.
Set a target of 443 to win from 135 overs after Nottinghamshire had declared their second innings on 339 for eight seven overs before tea, they were 115 for one from 39 overs at the end of the third day after Luke Wells (57) and George Balderson (45) shared an unbroken stand of 110.
Earlier, Tom Moores (97) and Lyndon James (91) each just missed out on hundreds but put Nottinghamshire in what looked like a strong position with a partnership of 176 for the sixth wicket, yet their bowlers have found little encouragement from an increasingly benign pitch.
Warwickshire v Hampshire
Edgbaston (third day of four): Hampshire 89 & 322, Warwickshire 116 & 139-2 - Warwickshire need another 157 runs to win with eight second-innings wickets remaining
A compelling finale awaits at Edgbaston where Warwickshire closed the third day on 139 for 2 in pursuit of 296 to beat Hampshire in the LV=Insurance County Championship.
An extraordinary match that began with 20 wickets falling on the first day has offered tougher toil for the bowlers with every passing hour.
After Hampshire's second innings ended at 322, ninth-wicket pair Keith Barker and Brad Wheal having added 93, home openers Rob Yates (70 not out, 199 balls) and Dom Sibley (47, 160) added 99 in 50 overs.
But spinner Liam Dawson then struck twice to keep the visitors very much in the match. The Bears, who will remain top of the table if they win, have plenty still to do, though Hampshire, already without the injured Kyle Abbott, suffered another blow when pace spearhead Mohammad Abbas limped off just before tea.
Division Two
Durham v Glamorgan
Chester-le-Street (third day of four): Glamorgan 97 & 333-7, Durham 503-8d - Glamorgan trail by 73 runs with three second-innings wickets remaining
Dan Douthwaite and Andrew Salter put on a stand of 163 for the seventh wicket for Glamorgan to defy Durham on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash at Emirates Riverside.
The home side appeared to be on their way to wrapping up victory in the afternoon session after reducing Glamorgan to 151 for six as Paul Coughlin claimed three wickets.
However, Douthwaite resisted with a stubborn 96, falling four runs short of a deserved century, with Salter more than playing his role remaining unbeaten at the close on 82. The visitors are still 73 runs shy of avoiding an innings defeat with three wickets remaining.
Northamptonshire v Surrey
Northampton (third day of four): Surrey 252 & 238, Northamptonshire 171 & 106-2 - Northamptonshire need another 214 runs to win with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Surrey’s Amar Virdi and Gus Atkinson made career-best scores in an enterprising last-wicket stand worth 83 in 36 overs to help set Northamptonshire a daunting 320 to win in this LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Wantage Road.
The pair safely negotiated the extra half-hour with Surrey nine wickets down before lunch and emerged after the interval keen to play their shots against the new ball. Virdi, belying his tailender status and an average of seven, struck seven boundaries in his 47, including clubbing Rob Keogh confidently over long-on.
Surrey’s bowlers then made early inroads with the ball, taking two early wickets, but an unbeaten stand of 69 by Emilio Gay and Keogh kept the hosts in the hunt at 106 for 2 at stumps.
Andrew Salter and Dan Douthwaite kept Durham at bay
Division Three
Derbyshire v Leicestershire
Derby (third day of four): Leicestershire 528, Derbyshire 313-8 - Derbyshire trail by 215 runs with seven first-innings first-innings wickets remaining
A record-breaking stand between Brooke Guest and Anuj Dal rescued Derbyshire on the third day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire at Derby.
The pair scored maiden first-class centuries as they passed Derbyshire’s previous highest sixth-wicket stand of 212 by Garnet Lee and Stan Worthington against Essex at Chesterfield in 1932.
They added 227 in 73 overs with Guest scoring 116 and Dal 106 to lift Derbyshire from 56 for 5 to 313 for 8 although work is still needed to avoid following on.
Sussex v Middlesex
Hove (second day of four): Middlesex 676-5d, Sussex 103-0
Sam Robson scored a career-best 253 and Robbie White his second successive century as Middlesex piled up the highest total in their history.
White was unbeaten on 110 when Middlesex declared on 676 for 5 on day 2 of their LV = Insurance County Championship match at Hove.
It was the sixth-biggest total Sussex have conceded in their history and highest for 21 years, but openers Tom Haines and Ali Orr enjoyed benign conditions too, taking their side to 103 without loss at stumps.
Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.
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.