Image source, Rex Features

Another absorbing day at the cricket ends with a hint of spring gloom but plenty of sparkle on the field.

Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope have pressed home Surrey's advantage over Hampshire with stylish half centuries to follow some excellent and miserly bowling to force a first innings lead.

Durham are close to an innings lead of their own at home to Warwickshire, where the Bears are eight down and 100 adrift.

Perhaps Surrey's biggest challenger thus far is Essex, who have passed 300 against Notts at Trent Bridge, just 46 adrift with five wickets in hands and more runs, 82 of them, from Jordan Cox.

Sussex are looking at home literally and figuratively in Division One with a strong showing v Somerset at Hove, where they already lead on second innings by 339 with nine wickets in hand thanks in large part to a stylish 117 not out from Tom Haines.

I wonder why Yorkshire didn't ask the Pears to follow on after racking up 456 and routing them for 162? 56-1 on second innings now and 350 ahead.

The Kent-Middlesex clash remains tight at Canterbury with the visitors 226 ahead and four wickets left, while Northants can dare to dream (weather permitting) after taking four Lancashire wickets tonight to leave the hosts 357 adrift on 139-4.

Gloucestershire have the edge over Glamorgan at Bristol so far after amassing 546 and keeping the visitors to 146-3 in reply while Derbyshire are eight down and 138 behind Leicester on first innings after a fine century from Martin Andersson.

Might be an extra layer day tomorrow. But it's only April!

See you tomorrow.

They call day three 'moving day' at the US Masters, well some of these teams will really do need to get moving on Sunday...

Division One

Surrey 253 & 136-1 v Hampshire 219 - Surrey lead by 170

Notts 347 - Verreynne 128* v Essex 301-5 - Cox 82

Durham 387 - McKinney 153 v Warwickshire 287-8

Yorkshire 456 & 61-1 v Worcestershire 162 - Coad 4-39 - Yorkshire lead by 355

Sussex 294 & 246-1 - Haines 117* v Somerset 201 - Hunt 5-48, Rew 80* - Sussex lead by 339

Division Two

Lancashire 139-4 v Northants 496 - Zaib 116, McManus 95

Kent 218 v Middlesex 222 & 222-6 - Geddes 73* - Middlesex lead by 226

Gloucestershire 546 v Glamorgan 146-3

Leicestershire 484 - van Beek 82* v Derbyshire 346-8 - Andersson 101*, Jewell 86

Dom Bess plays out a maiden from Ben Allison and Yorkshire end day two at Headingley in a position of total dominance.

Jordan Thompson raced to 70 before they were finally bowled out during the morning session and although Worcestershire reached 90-0 in reply, wickets tumbled once the openers had been parted.

Jake Libby made 53 but they were bowled out in 66.3 overs to trail by 294, only for Tykes skipper Jonny Bairstow to decline the chance of making them follow on.

Yorkshire lost Finlay Bean in the final session but lead by 355 and will be looking to bat themselves into a declaration position when the game resumes.

No surprise there, given the gloom and the fact we were around the 6.30pm mark at the time the players went off.

We'll start again tomorrow.

Matthew Waite tests out Dom Bess with a short one and he pulls it through square leg for the second boundary of his innings.

Just one over to come at Headingley after this one.

Matt Critchley makes it to 50 as Essex make their way over 300 runs - and that's it for today.

Earlier on we saw Notts bowled out for 347 with Kyle Verreynne unbeaten on 128. It was Sam Cook who wrapped up the Notts innings, finishing with figures of 4-44.

Essex lost a couple of early wickets in reply but Jordan Cox (82) and Paul Walter (76) shared a big partnership, although both will feel disappointed not to have reached a century.

They will begin tomorrow trailing by just 46 runs, with five wickets in hand which sets day three up rather nicely.

Durham will be the happier of the two sides despite a determined batting effort from Warwickshire at the Riverside.

Ben McKinney finally went for 153 as Durham added 54 to their overnight 353-7 and then reduced the Bears to 157-6.

But Kai Smith (79) and Michael Booth put on 115 for the seventh wicket to stave off any possibility of having to follow on.

Booth reached a maiden first-class 50 with a cover drive for four off Matthew Potts from the penultimate ball of the day and will be there when Warwickshire start day three exactly 100 in arrears..

Jack Davies has departed for 27, holing-out to Daniel Bell-Drummond off Jack Leaning and Kent have a breakthrough in the gloaming.

Middlesex lead by 225 but are down to their final four wickets.

That 90-run partnership with Ben Geddes, still unbeaten on 73, might have taken the game away from the hosts.

Martin Andersson is 101* and Derbyshire have whittled the Leicestershire lead down to 139 in the final over of the day at Grace Road, with two wickets up their sleeve.

The skies have been murky for a while and Hampshire in particular will be relieved to get a bit of respite after a tough Day Two.

Surrey bowled with superb discipline to restrict Hampshire to only 42 runs in the morning session and despite a watchful 44 from Tom Prest and a daring 27-ball 37 from Kyle Abbott thereafter, Surrey still forced an innings lead of 34.

Runs flowed more easily for the host team this afternoon, nearly always around or beyond the rate of four an over.

Dom Sibley has continued a sparkling vein of form for an unbeaten 55, while Ollie Pope (56*) played some outrageously good shots to reach a 50 of his own, including sixes uppercut to point and over the keeper.

The lead is 170.

Penny for Ben Raine's thoughts.

Michael Booth tries to cut a ball which is far too close to him but picks up four runs from an under-edge which just misses the stumps.

He is 43 not out.

100 for Martin Anderssonpublished at 18:26 British Summer Time 12 April

18:26 BST 12 April

Leicestershire 484 v Derbyshire 337-8

The former Middlesex all-rounder drives Logan van Beek to mid-on for a couple and reaches three figures for the first time in his career.

He's hit 13 fours and a six in this imperious 129-ball knock and has almost single-handedly dragged his side past the follow-on target, with due respect to support acts Anuj Dal and Zak Chappell.

The lead is up to 168 with Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope well set.

Still seven overs left after this one from Liam Dawson.

Three singles off an altogether more sedate over than the one that preceded it from Sonny Baker.

Dom Sibley tries to work the ball leg side and is stopped at mid wicket.

He ducks under a bouncer to see out the over.

With three overs left, Durham summon Matthew Potts for a final burst.

They almost had a wicket in the previous over as Michael Booth pulled a short one from Ben Raine but Brendan Doggett could not complete the catch in the deep.

Potts fires a bouncer at Taz Ali who ducks out of the way.

50 for Ollie Popepublished at 18:20 British Summer Time 12 April

18:20 BST 12 April

Surrey 253 & 129-1 v Hants 219

Image source, Rex Features

What a way to get there!

Sonny Baker bangs one in short, wide of off stump and Ollie Pope leans back to swat it over point for six!

Six more runs next ball to pass 50 for the first time this summer and this shot is even better!

He leans back in his crease and uppercuts the ball over the keeper's head!

Extraordinary. 67 balls with five fours and those daring two sixes.

Easy as can be, Finlay Bean directs an angled ball from Ben Allison into the gap at mid-wicket and that is his second boundary. Eight more overs to come at Headingley.

50 for Dom Sibleypublished at 18:15 British Summer Time 12 April

18:15 BST 12 April

Surrey 253 & 116-1 v Hants 219

Image source, Rex Features

Sonny Baker bowls to Dom Sibley on 49.

Short and Sibley sways out of the way. He'll have to wait a bit longer.

Change of bowling from the Pavilion End where Liam Dawson is coming back on to bowl some left arm spin.

Single to Ollie Pope to long on.

Dom Sibley goes back to hit the fourth ball of the over through mid wicket for one and there's his 50. Already his third of the summer!

He scored a vital second innings 66 v Essex at Chelmsford and a superb century in the first innings of this game.

90 balls with seven fours.

Tom Taylor drags one down short and Finlay Bean helps it on its way and collects four to square leg. He is 12 not out and Yorkshire lead by 330.