It might be a touch gloomy, but Worcestershire are making light of that (sorry!).

Kashif Ali is playing the attacking role, flicking away a Matt Potts ball that strayed on to his pads.

Next over, Ben Raine offers Ali width and he cashes in, throwing his hands at the ball and putting away the bad ball for his fourth boundary.

He goes to 21 off just 24 balls.

I'm wondering if the floodlights are bound to make a reappearance.

It's overcast and gloomy again.

Nathan McAndrew has taken three Northamptonshire wickets in six balls as leaders Sussex fight back after being dismissed for 143.

McAndrew had Emiliano Gay and Luke Procter caught by Haines in successive balls.

Prithvi Shaw resisted his hat-trick ball, but in the next over he pinned Matthew Breetzke in front. The hosts are 64-4.

Elsewhere in Division Two, Leicestershire paceman Ben Mike has found his rhythm to dismiss Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman.

Max Holden has also gone cheaply as the visitors slipped to 33-3 at tea.

Meanwhile, Glamorgan have reached 49-1 at tea with Marnus Labuschagne (16) and Billy Root (17) at the crease, while Yorkshire went for tea six runs ahead with eight first-innings wickets intact.

Very much Hampshire's session at Utilita Bowl. At 56-3, Kent were in business, but James Vince and Ben Brown have taken it away from them.

James Vince has dominated with 80 and he has found good support from Ben Brown in an unbroken stand of 104.

Can Vince make it to his century after tea?

I think that is about an even session at The Oval.

Despite the sun being out, the ball is doing a fair bit on a wicket which still has a greenish tinge.

Eathan Bosch and Shane Snater, in particular, have got their line and length spot on for the conditions. Bosch has reaped the rewards and Snater can count himself unlucky to be wicketless at this stage.

Jamie Smith has shown us flashes of why he has got the call from England, a couple of his boundaries have had the look of Zak Crawley about them so he will surely be an exciting addition to the international scene.

Just the two wickets for Somerset in the session, with Will Rhodes and Jacob Bethell falling in quick succession.

But Warwickshire cannot realistically afford to lose early wickets in the evening session.

Ed Barnard continues to enhance his all rounder credentials and leaves the field unbeaten on 79.

Michael Burgess is 33 not out.

Kashif Ali becomes the third Pears batter to get off the mark with a four.

He guides his third ball to Matthew Potts down to the third man boundary.

Ali is man to play his shots and takes a big swish at a Potts out swinger and luckily for him gets nowhere near it.

After farming the strike with the last ball of the over he then gets an outside edge to his first ball from Ban Raine which zips across the turf for four.

This game is moving at a pace.

Jamie Smith is nearly foxed by Simon Harmer, playing inside the line of an arm ball.

He gets away with a single pushed to long on and Sai Sudharsan is forward to block.

A fascinating battle between the Championship top two will resume in 20 minutes.

Jamie Smith is 39 not out and Sai Sudharsan has a single.

How many times have we said this today?

James Vince - drive - glorious - four runs.

Vince now has 76 with 14 fours and the 150 is up too.

The sun is now out in Southport. We don't go overboard as it's not quite warm enough to remove your coat, but it is better.

Keaton Jennings scampers a single off the last ball from Lyndon James to bring up the 150 and take his own score to 71 not out.

A very good tussle of Division One cricket taking shape.

Jamie Smith is in full flow here as he unleashes a silky cut through cover for four off the bowling of Jamie Porter.

Sai Sudharsan gets a single off the first ball of the Eathan Bosch over to get off the mark via a clip to square leg.

The tea interval has been earmarked for 15:55 and Essex have marginally had the better of this session.

I wonder if we'll get any more unevenness as this game goes on. Four days is a long time for a club pitch.

It's easy pace, there's no real pace in the pitch.

The assessment of the pitch from both teams is that they think it's going to spin because they've both played two spinners.

Michael Burgess is forward to Migael Pretorius, defending the pace bowler into the off side.

He's nearly beaten for pace but jabs the bat down at the last moment.

Pretorius tries a bouncer, inducing a play and miss with an attempted hook shot.

The last ball rises on a length and Burgess jabs it down almost off the splice of the bat.

Testing bowling but Warwickshire have had the better of this session of play so far.

Somerset are plugging away but that early assistance they were getting from the atmosphere and the pitch seems to have dissipated.

It's just a question of getting the ball in the right areas and hoping for a batsman error.

It's quite hard to see where the next wicket is coming from at the moment.

This is looking good for Essex.

Eathan Bosch’s line and length have been immaculate and he is reaping the rewards.

Surrey have lost four wickets for 59 runs and need debutant Sai Sudarsan and Jamie Smith to repair the damage.

Jake Libby is also off the mark with a second-ball boundary, guiding Matthew Potts down to the third man boundary.

Potts follows up by finding the edge of Libby's bat, but it's a thick one and is retrieved at third man by sub fielder Paul Coughlin. Single.

Bowling leg-spin can be very unforgiving as Calvin Harrison demonstrates.

He loses his length in two straight balls, allowing George Balderson to get two more fours.

One is dropped short outside off and another that is even shorter which Balderson pulls to fine leg. Welcome runs for Lancashire.

Yorkshire have gone past Derbyshire's meagre first innings 76 inside 20 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Luis Reece removed both openers Adam Lyth (38) and Finlay Bean (29), but the visitors are 81-2.

Middlesex have lost Mark Stonemason for just one, off the bowling of Ben Mike, and have reached 15-1 in reply to Leicestershire's 179.

Over in Northampton, leaders Sussex are toiling. Having been dismissed for just 143, the hosts have raced to 32-0 off three overs in reply.

And Glamorgan have lost Eddie Byron early on, as Matt Taylor struck, and are 12-1 in reply to Gloucestershire's 179.

Ben Raine gets us going after the players took an early tea at Chester-le-Street.

Gareth Roderick makes a blistering start as the Pears reply to Durham's first innings knock of 190, with a lovely drive through the covers for four off the first ball.

The next two balls go for two apiece as the Pears show intent.

Perhaps no point hanging around on this green top.

Matthew Potts takes the new ball at the other end to Jake Libby.