Harry Finch gets four down to third man and is then gifted a legside delivery from Aaron Beard for another boundary.

That is a second 50 of the season for Finch and he is battling very well in this innings.

Finch was dropped on nine remember, so it has already cost Essex 44 runs.

Dan Lawrence pulls hard at the second ball of Michael Neser's second over after tea.

The fielder gets a hand to it at midwicket but cannot prevent a boundary. It would have been an absolute worldie had that stuck.

We have 32 overs left today at Canterbury. Unlike much of the rest of the country, we have bright sunshine.

Hallelujah!

This is a perhaps a defining part of the match in terms of whether it is going to drift towards a draw or whether we may still get a result.

It's difficult to see Middlesex winning from here.

The only side that can probably win is Sussex but you feel that they're going to have to make some substantial inroads with the new ball into this Middlesex innings.

It's all change again after tea as James Vince decides to bring back some quicker stuff.

Michael Neser opens the evening session to Dan Lawrence who is watchful and plays out a maiden.

Felix Organ continues as he searches for a fourth wicket. Ben Foakes chooses defence and it's a second maiden.

Ooof!

Marnus Labuschagne shoulders arms to his first two balls from wicket-taker Matt Salisbury and both nip back a little just past his off-stump.

They will go down as good leaves.

Eddie Byrom then gets a big outside edge to the first ball of Ian Holland's next over and it drops agonisingly short of first slip. He takes a fortuitous a single.

Holland then almost takes the outside edge of Labuschagne with a ball that swings away.

And that's tea. That declaration, at the moment, looks a wise one as the Foxes look to force a result.

The final session begins at Lord's and James Coles again pays the price for drifting the ball onto Sam Robson's pads as he is picked off for four runs through square leg.

Robson advances to 125 not out and Ryan Higgins is on 39.

Almost a third wicket on the stroke of tea as Ed Barnard pushes one out into a gap on the offside.

He runs one and goes back for a second and Will Rhodes probably have been a goner at the non-striker's end if Tom Bailey's throw had hit.

It didn't and the Bears head to the dressing rooms with an advantage of 165 runs with eight wickets remaining.

As we told you earlier, there was no play today in the game at New Road between Worcestershire and Notts.

It was a similar story in the second one-day between England Women and Pakistan at Taunton.

Just 6.5 overs were bowled in that one, with the tourists reaching 29-0, before the rain closed in and the match had to be abandoned.

A couple of important wickets in the afternoon session for Essex which they badly needed.

Jamie Porter getting the breakthrough with the new ball after lunch to dismiss Matt Parkinson just shy of his half century before Joe Denly went for 87 trying to play big off the bowling of Matt Critchley. That was the partnership Essex needed to break.

It’ll be an interesting evening session to see if Essex can build some momentum and pick up Kent lower order wickets or if the hosts will continue to dig in with the bat, having just steered past the 300 mark at tea.

A period of calm at Emirates Old Trafford as Will Rhodes and Alex Davies try to steadily accumulate for the visitors.

In terms of the lead, they are 159 runs in front.

In terms of the weather, there are one or two vey dark clouds in the distance but nothing to stop us playing for now.

Ian Holland opens the bowling for Leicestershire as Glamorgan start their second innings 44 runs ahead.

Eddie Byrom is off the mark with a single.

Billy Root then has to scurry to get home for a quick single as a shy comes in from midwicket.

Matt Salisbury opens at the other end and serves up a maiden.

A lovely piece of timing sees Dan Lawrence force Liam Dawson through point for his sixth boundary

Then another stylish drive through extra cover takes him to 31 off 27 balls.

Felix Organ will bowl the final over before tea.

Foakes takes a two off the fourth ball - only his second scoring shot from 32 balls. He moves to three and takes Surrey past 100.

Another session belongs to Hampshire. They've removed Surrey's top four with Felix Organ taking the last three to fall after Keith Barker removed Rory Burns.

Can Hants wrap it up today?

Just the one run from Simon Harmer's final over before tea.

A wicket apiece for Jamie Porter and Matt Critchley for Essex in this session, but it has been hard work for the bowlers.

Joe Denly will be disappointed to fall for 87 but wicketkeeper Harry Finch is a determined 44 not out as Kent show lots of fight.

James Coles drifts one in towards Sam Robson's pads and it it easy pickings for the Middlesex opener, who flicks it away for four.

Ryan Higgins dabs the ball past the short leg fielder for a single off Jack Carson and the Middlesex total reaches 250 in the 77th over.

Robson and Higgins add one more each before the end of the over and that is tea - 112 added in the afternoon session for the loss of Max Holden and Leus du Plooy.

The 110th over of Kent's first innings is bowled by Matt Critchley.

A bye off the first ball and then another bye off the second as Joey Evison goes for a big swipe.

It is still enough to get his side to 300 and a second batting point.

Finch takes another single, so that is three off Critchley's over.

In terms of bonus points, Essex have five and Kent, three.

After day one was washed out, day three also bites the dust.

Hopes were pinned on a 3pm inspection but another shower, the heaviest of the day so far, has extinguished all hopes of play today.

Notts have one day to force a result - if the weather behaves, of course.