Image source, Rex Features

It has barely stopped raining in Southampton all morning, in fact, it still is!

Lunch has been taken at the scheduled 13:10 BST, but there is an inspection booked in at 15:01 BST (perhaps the umpires want to hear the football kick-off whistles around the country before venturing out!)

Fingers crossed, especially from an Essex perspective, there will be some play but one assumes that inspection might be to abandon the day's play.

Yorkshire's day, so far.

Daniel Hughes, Tom Haines and Tom Clark have all departed in this morning session - curtailed by 10 overs due to rain.

Tom Alsop doubled his tally to eight with a classic drive through mid-off to the rope off Matthew Revis. If Haines has a manual, Alsop needs a textbook. James Coles is yet to get off the mark at the other end.

The Division Two leaders are still 71 runs in arrears with just seven second innings wickets remaining and have a lot of work to do to save this game.

Good news from New Road, where play will begin at 14:00 BST providing there is no further rain.

Kent have sizeable hole to dig themselves out of, needing to score another 172 to avoid an innings defeat.

Tawanda Muyeye is 80 not out and Jack Leaning has 15.

It's four for Ben Slater but a fortunate one as the opener's charmed life continues.

An outside edge off Bas de Leede goes through the legs of Ashton Turner at second slip and away to the rope.

And that's lunch.

Despite following on after losing their remaining two wickets in less than seven overs, things had begun to brighten for Nottinghamshire.

Haseeb Hameed and Slater - who survived an early drop off Scott Borthwick on five - looked set to take the visitors through to lunch without damage.

But the skipper’s disappointing dismissal less than two overs before the break keeps them firmly on the backfoot.

They trail by 246.

Matthew Revis over-pitches one and Tom Alsop gets off the mark at the 14th time of asking with a nicely-timed punch back down the ground for four runs to the fence at long-off.

The Sussex deficit is down to 77 and there are dark shapes following the players around on the grass at North Marine Road. I think they might be called shadows.

Get the knotted hankies out.

Ooh, that's a lovely shot!

Haseeb Hameed looks in the mood here as a flicks away a Bas de Lreede ball off his pads for a well-timed four. That's his ? boundary.

He then guides the next ball wide of third man and picks up three to move on to 34 from 39 balls.

It also takes the visitors past the 50 mark. They trail by 250.

Matthew Revis is coming on to bowl at the Trafalgar Square End. His first action of the morning.

Tom Clark has 12 from 45 balls. Tom Alsop is yet to get off the mark from 13 deliveries.

Uncomfortable session, this.

Just a quick reminder that there has been no action so far today in seven of our nine Championship games because of rain.

Play between Warwickshire and Somerset is, however, due to start at 13:50 BST and in Division Two, there will be an inspection at Derby at 13:00, with Glamorgan waiting to resume on 39-0.

BIG shout for LBW against Tom Alsop from George Hill.

Umpire James Middlebrook is unmoved as Hill, Bairstow and the Yorkshire cordon bounce about in a near celebrappeal.

The umpire only gets to see it once, of course, but that looks as good a shout as you'll see this morning...

Alsop lives to fight another day... Sussex are desperate for lunch.

Ben Slater digs one out off his leg stump off Bas de Leede.

It looks destined for four, but Ben Raine is not giving it up and chases it down, colliding with the rope but saving a run.

Haseeb Hameed then unfurls his best shot of the morning, driving the ball straight back past Bas de Leede to the long-on boundary.

And it's back-to-back fours as the Notts skipper guides it down to the vacant third man boundary.

Impetus from the visitors, but can they survive unscathed until lunch?

Image source, Rex Features

Riley Meredith has taken 14 wickets for Somerset in this summer's T20 Blast.

But he will miss their quarter-final against against Northants Steelbacks on 5 September after being named in Australia's T20 squad to play Scotland as a replacement for Josh Hazelwood.

Somerset are hopeful he will be available for T20 Finals Day at Edgbaston should they make it past the 2013 and 2016 winners.

50 up for Sussexpublished at 12:42 British Summer Time 24 August

12:42 BST 24 August

Yorkshire 326 v Sussex 189 & 50-2

Tom Clark crouches down and cuts a looser delivery from George Hill neatly through point to move to 12 and bring up the Sussex 50.

They are 87 behind with eight wickets remaining. Yorkshire might be thinking about how to polish this off today, with the prospect of more poor weather tomorrow.

Tom Alsop survives a run-out attempt, just. Tom Clark sets off for a single off Ben Coad which was ill-judged, to put it kindly.

Will Luxton has a stump and a half to aim for but just fizzes his shy past the timbers with Alsop barely in the frame.

Coad then somehow beats the edge of Alsop's bat and the top of off-stump with the final ball of his over. He drops to his haunches with his hands over his face. That delivery arguably deserved two wickets, but doesn't even secure one.

Sussex making hard work of this. Yorkshire well on top.

Arms are thrown skyward once again as Ben Raine almost finds the breakthrough.

The burly seamer sends one down which keeps low and sneaks between Haseeb Hameed's bat and the off stump.

The Notts skipper picks up a four and a single from the over to move to 19.

So far so good for the Notts openers who negotiate the first 10 overs with a couple of scares but no damage.

Haseeb Hameed chops the final ball of Bas de Leede's first over into the ground and it pops up, inches from the batter's boots. Nice start - maiden.

Ben Raine moves into the fifth over of his spell and bangs one in short.

Haseeb Hameed shows the first signs of aggression as he pulls it through midwicket for his third boundary.

Six from the over.

It's time for a bit of Bas de Leede.

Ben Coad comes around the wicket to bowl to left-hander Tom Clark. He draws him forward and raps him on the pads before unleashing a vociferous appeal for LBW.

Jonny Bairstow behind the timbers is hopping up and down like the Easter Bunny, but the umpire is unmoved.

Seen 'em given.

The Sussex deficit is down to 94.

George Hill is brought into the attack ending a threatening spell from Jordan Thompson.