Lancashire v Yorkshire, Durham v Essex and more: county cricket – live!

On a traditionally overcast Roses Friday, the day meandered towards a crushing Lancashire lead. Keaton Jennings was the master builder, crafting his first red-ball century since he made 146 not out for England against Sri Lanka in November 2018. After a couple of years in the wilderness, this season he has rediscovered both touch and brio. Away he chugged, putting on 19 runs in the first 45 minutes with Luke Wells, but there were occasional boulders as well as bricks, as skimming cover drives and gleaming late cuts were plucked from the level.

Yorkshire plugged away, throwing on Dom Bess, his baggy trousers and shaggy hair a sharp contrast to Jennings’ ironed creases and buttoned cuffs. Yorkshire eventually got their hands on the new ball they had been after all day, and it tookonly five overs to make a breakthrough as Jennings was caught at first slip after a partnership of 175 with Wells. One became three as Wells, then Livingstone followed. But on Lancashire went. For a while it seemed they would try for maximum batting bonus points as Dane Vilas straight drove Steven Patterson for four, then dropped to one knee and pulled him behind square, and Bess was biffed for straight sixes, with Josh Bohannon reaching the scorers’ box high in the media centre. But sense soon prevailed and the grind, grind, grind returned.

A sixth wicket stand of 125 between Ryan ten Doeschate (55) and Adam Wheater (81) rescued Essex from an unbecoming 53 for five to finish the day with a towering lead at Chester-le-Street. Durham were earlier bowled out for 99; such was the haste of their demise that Simon Harmer didn’t even get to wrap his bowling fingers around the ball.

Saif Zaib’s 64 helped Northants to a handy first-innings lead at Hove. After a post-tea wobble, Tom Haines and Ben Brown inched Sussex ahead.

Lewis Hill and Callum Parkinson were the only players to make their mark on Leicestershire’s first innings of 136. Martin Andersson was too much for their middle order, picking up four for 27, his best figures for Middlesex.

Hashim Amla continued to scatter his munificence at The Oval, finishing with 173, and Surrey 473, thanks to a bit of hurry-up from Rikki Clarke and Sean Abbott. Gloucestershire must now bat out two days on a turning pitch, with Amar Virdi already in the wickets shortly before rain stopped play.

A last wicket can-can of 52 for Warwickshire between Liam Norwell and Oliver Hannon-Dalby proved a morning irritation to Nottinghamshire on a day interrupted by showers. Norwell, who had frying-panned three sixes, then nipped in to remove England-bound Haseeb Hameed for 39, Ben Duckett and, later, Ben Slater for 77.

Ed Barnard coaxed the tail into a morning wag with another handy innings, this time of 90, as Worcestershire reached 421. On a rain-interrupted afternoon, Derbyshire lost three wickets.