That may be that at Leicester.

It's a really important win for Essex, they needed to keep themselves in touching distance of Surrey going into this break for the T20 Blast.

They had the disappointment of the defeat at Somerset, a really good win over Warwickshire last weekend and I though we were heading for a draw here at Canterbury.

It wouldn't have been the worst thing but knowing how Surrey did at Southampton and the way that Hampshire got that win - for Essex to have turned around a frustrating start to day three to bowl Kent out and then do the same here having enforced a follow-on, it might be a win that we look back on later on in the season and think that's crucial to how Essex's season turns out.

The boundaries have dried up again at Lord's.

Just two singles and a wide from James Coles' latest over.

Henry Brookes is 42 not out and Ethan Bamber has 15 - together they have so far added 30 for the 10th wicket.

There's a much more aggressive tone being taken, at least against the seamers, we'll see whether they do it against the spinners but for the time being, Lancashire have decided that they are in the race for this.

There's a different character to this little session than might have been expected.

Lancashire have not really been taking the initiative at all in this game from the moment Alex Davies won the toss.

Luke Procter continues the assault, picking up his third boundary off the first ball of Jordan Thompson's fourth over.

A single moves the skipper to 27 and brings Ricardo Vasconcelos on strike.

Thompson drags one down and the Northants opener middles it through the gap between long leg and square leg for four more.

Nine from that one.

Adam Lyth comes on for his first bowl and concedes four singles and that's tea.

Northants need 232 more from 35 overs. Don't go anywhere!

Brooke Guest takes Ollie Price through cover point off the bat foot for four.

100 balls, seven fours for his half-century.

Keaton Jennings smokes one over the top for four off the first ball of Michael Rae's third over.

He is opening up and giving himself room to swing through most balls.

Keaton Jennings' right boot saves him from being bowled off his body and helmet from an OHD short ball, he already had six runs off the over.

He will carry on, no worries.

Josh Bohannon meanwhile has 13* off six balls.

Ricardo Vasconcelos picks up successive twos off Matt Revis and then collects his fifth boundary.

He then runs through for three more to bring up a 61-ball 50.

They are really accelerating here. Thirteen has come off that over.

Thirty-six overs remain. The chase is ON.

Grace Road is bathed in sunshine and the players are back out after that rain shower prompted an early tea.

Louis Kimber is back on straight after tea and Chris Cooke slaps his fourth ball to the boundary through deep extra cover.

How much more cricket until the captains shake hands?

Essex would have come into today with a little bit of doubt as to whether it might be possible to take 10 wickets with the way the pitch played yesterday but they have absolutely jumped on it.

A victory, along with Surrey's defeat, makes the Division One table look particularly interesting at the top end of it.

Looking towards the bottom end, it's a costly defeat for Kent.

Jordan Thompson overpitches and Ricardo Vasconcelos helps himself, hitting it through the covers for his fourth boundary.

The 50 partnership for the second wicket comes up off 87 balls - Luke Procter has 17 of them.

Two singles follow. Six from the over.

Matt Revis caused Northants batters plenty of problems in the first innings and is brought into the attack in the 18th over.

He serves up a loosener first up, short and wide, and Luke Procter helps it round the corner to the third man boundary.

Five dots - 264 required for a second win of the season.

Almost an unlucky end for Ricardo Vasconcelos.

Backing up, he dives full length to get back into his crease after Jordan Thompson almost deflects Luke Procter's on-drive back onto the stumps at the non-striker's end.

He picks himself up to take the single, and then picks up an easy two.

The batters trade singles. Five from the over.

A minimum of 40 overs to go - 268 needed.

There's more cloud banking up over to our left but hopefully that will just go past.

I feel that it's going to be hard for either side to force a win here.

Ollie Hannon-Dalby (OHD) takes the new ball in at experienced southpaw pair Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings.

Just the one run off the first over, a bit different to the first over of the recent innings at Bristol with Derbyshire going at MDL.

Kiwi overseas, with headband, Michael Rae takes the second.

231 more required.