DIVISION ONE

Chester le Street: Durham 358 v Essex 314-3 no play yet today

The Oval: Surrey 359 v Hampshire 151 and 31-2 no play yet today

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 71-3 v Nottinghamshire 400 no play yet today

Kidderminster: Worcestershire 185-1 v Somerset 309-9dec

DIVISION TWO

Bristol: Gloucestershire 314-7 v Middlesex 203

Grace Road: Leicestershire 97-2 v Northampton 453-7dec play abandoned for the day

Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5 v Derbyshire 190-3 play abandoned for the day

This is a fascinating little nugget, from Luis Reece at a sodden Headingley, on bowling to Harry Brook and Joe Root:

“I felt like I bowled well to Root, but it was Brook I struggled with. He put me under a lot of pressure and took a liking to my bowling.

“You know what cricket’s like, you can come across certain batters which suit your style and others who don’t. It’s visa versa when you bat.

“Your margin for error is a lot smaller. The way England have played, it’s been about that – putting the bowlers under pressure. Harry’s thriving as a cricketer under that. Joe, his stats speak for themselves. He’s one of England’s best ever players.

“You want to test yourself, and you want to get a buzz out of doing it. Otherwise, what’s the point in being out here. “

Another one bites the dust.

The west of the country faring the best today.

This is what Miles Hammond had to say yesterday evening.

“It’s been a good day for us, we’ve batted nicely, put ourselves in a great position and are happy with that. Hopefully, the weather doesn’t play too great a part tomorrow [ahem] and we can get back out there and add to our lead.

“ It was doing a bit out there to begin with, but there was extra bounce in the pitch and that meant you could play more shots and score a little bit more freely. Graeme (van Buuren) came out and batted really well in the way that he does.

“We were able to build a good partnership, build momentum and take the initiative in the game. That’s the way he bats best. It was great to watch and put Middlesex on the back foot. I don’t think we can afford to look too far ahead, because that would be careless. We have to focus on increasing our lead. There may come a time when we’re in a position to pull out and put them back in, but that can only come after a lot more hard work.”

There’s justice in there somewhere. Worcestershire get onto the green first.

Delayed starts at The Oval, Durham, Edgbaston, Worcestershire, Bristol, and Headingley. And for a full set, they’ve already called it a day at Grace Road

In Manchester it is damp. Elsewhere? The Met office says: “Locally heavy rain and brisk winds moving north across many eastern and central parts, mostly clearing into the North Sea by late afternoon. Drier and brighter in the west with sunny spells and scattered showers. Still rather cool for most.”

The current scene at Grace Road:

Centuries of different but sparkling hues by Joe Root and Harry Brook helped Yorkshire to maximum batting points at Headingley. Together they dabbed 201 for the fourth wicket, Root celebrating his 10th century for Yorkshire with a reverse-ramp for six before being bowled by a Zak Chappell yorker for 119, shaking his head as he trudged off.

Brook’s hundred, his ninth for Yorkshire and second of the season, was a more brutal affair at a run a ball. Derbyshire looked in deep trouble at 23 for three, but Wayne Madsen (88) and Brooke Guest (74) frustrated Yorkshire until stumps on a day so chilly that Root fielded in a snood.

Essex batted with restrained fortitude at Chester-le-Street, thanks to a quick-witted and stylish century from Feroze Khushi, his second for Essex, and a steady unbeaten 94 from Nick Browne, trailing by just 44 but with rain forecast for Sunday.

The groundsman Vic Demain explained that the wet weather had meant that his team couldn’t get heavy machinery on to the square early this year to compact the earth, and that therefore pitches are starting softer than he would like, without the bounce he was aiming for. Durham’s attack proved testing in the early overs of the day, with Ben Raine and Matthew Potts agitating, unsuccessfully but energetically, for several close lbw shouts.

Rory Burns put together a seven-hour 113, blunting skilful spells from Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas, to reach his first hundred since July 2022. The innings hauled Surrey from a wobbly 44 for four to an intimidating 359 on a grassy Oval pitch. Jordan Clark provided the power hitting, freestyling an unbeaten 106 at a run a ball, and biffing Surrey to a lead of 208. Browbeaten Hampshire then lost two quick wickets before the rain fell.

Pepperpot Ben Duckett duly reached a brilliant 200 at Edgbaston, the fifth of his career and the one he considers his best in county cricket, as Nottinghamshire got the upper hand at a damp Edgbaston. He and Dillon Pennington steered Notts to 400, before Warwickshire’s in-form top order were reduced to 26 for three. Ed Barnard and Dan Mousley steered them safely to stumps.

There was a first hundred for George Bartlett in Northamptonshire colours, as he, with support from the gung-ho Chris Tremain and Lewis McManus, carried Northants to maximum batting points, biffing 116 in 14 overs and reaching 450 with two balls to spare.

Ben Sanderson then dismissed Leicestershire’s Australian opener Marcus Harris for a duck. On a wet day at Kidderminster, Jake Libby reached his fourth half century of the summer against Somerset, while Miles Hammond (81) and Graeme van Buuren (75) helped Gloucestershire to a 68-run lead over Middlesex at Bristol.

DIVISION ONE

Chester le Street: Durham 358 v Essex 314-3

The Oval: Surrey 359 v Hampshire 151 and 31-2

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 71-3 v Nottinghamshire 400

Kidderminster: Worcestershire 107-1 v Somerset 309-9dec

DIVISION TWO

Bristol: Gloucestershire 271-6 v Middlesex 203

Grace Road: Leicestershire 97-2 v Northampton 453-7dec

Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5 v Derbyshire 190-3

Good morning! Round the grounds? Wet.