Image source, Rex Features

It's looking good for the two divisional leaders at the half-way stage of the latest County Championship matches.

Surrey are well on top at Worcester after Dan Lawrence smashed five successive sixes in his 175, while Sussex have a 233-run lead after bowling out Leicestershire for 275.

Essex remain on the back foot against Durham, while Luke Wells and Josh Bohannon - who is 182 not out - both made centuries to put Lancashire on top against Kent.

Join us again tomorrow from 10:30 for the third day's action.

Division One

Essex 249-4 v Durham 587

Essex trail by 338 with 6 wickets standing

Kent 244 v Lancashire 402-4

Lancashire lead by 158 with 6 wickets standing

Nottinghamshire 360 v Somerset 293-4

Somerset trail by 67 with 6 wickets standing

Warwickshire 254 v Hampshire 298 & 88-2

Hampshire lead by 132 with 8 wickets standing

Worcestershire 147-7 v Surrey 490

Worcestershire trail by 343 with 3 wickets standing

Division Two

Glamorgan 390-8 v Northamptonshire 279

Glamorgan lead by 111 with 2 wickets standing

Middlesex 433 v Derbyshire 308-4

Derbyshire trail by 125 with 6 wickets standing

Sussex 442 & 66-2 v Leicestershire 275

Sussex lead by 233 with 8 wickets standing

Yorkshire 456 v Gloucestershire 168-7

Gloucestershire trail by 288 with 3 wickets standing

Two singles from Luke Hollman's final over ends a high-scoring day at Lord's.

Ryan Higgins' superb 163 helped Middlesex take their first innings total to 433 before lunch.

But a magnificent unbeaten century from opener Luis Reece led the Derbyshire fightback on day two.

He goes to the close unbeaten on 123, taken from 236 balls, to help the visitors reduce the deficit to 125 in reply to Middlesex's 433.

Wayne Madsen chipped in with 49, but we should also doff our cap to Aneurin Donald.

He added late evening impetus with a rapid 43, off 52 balls, in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 72 with Reece.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Durham know only too well how good a batting track this is, having made 587 runs on it - and they also know how difficult it will be to take 20 Essex wickets.

Durham's first innings lasted four sessions and despite reducing their hosts to 120-4 in the 34th over, Paul Walter and Matt Critchley have now put on 129 runs for the fifth wicket.

Walter, who has returned following a toe injury, has 74 and Critchley 51.

It's been another hot day in Chelmsford and they trail Durham by 338.

Having seen their first nightwatcher, Jack Carson, caught behind off Wiaan Mulder for seven, Sussex's second, Sean Hunt, survives the final over of the day at Hove.

The Division Two leaders end play with a lead of 233 despite adding only 11 to their overnight 431-7 during the morning.

Skipper John Simpson was left unbeaten on 183 and he then took three catches behind the stumps as Leicestershire were bowled out in 70.3 overs.

Left-armer Hunt took 4-70, while Peter Handscomb (96) and Mulder (53) put on 2108 for the fifth wicket.

Callum Parkinson to bowl the final over of the day.

Paul Walter jogs through for an incredibly leisurely single off the third ball - well it has been a long, steamy day.

Then Matt Critchley plays out three dots.

It's been a good fightback from Essex after they had dug a pretty big hole for themselves.

After thrashing quick runs this morning with Ollie Robinson reaching 198, Durham posted their biggest-ever total against Essex of 587 before two Matt Potts wickets helped reduce the hosts to 120-4.

Half-centuries from Paul Walter (80 not out) and Matt Critchley (51 not out) have chipped the deficit down to 338, but Durham remain in a very strong position.

Yorkshire tighten grip on the game at Scarborough as Jordan Thompson has Graeme van Buuren caught at slip for 11 in the day's penultimate over.

The Tykes lost their last seven wickets for 108 after resuming on 348-3 but Thompson's 44 off 28 balls pushed the total beyond 450.

Ben Charlesworth (45) and Ollie Price (47) batted well for Gloucestershire but no-one was able to make a major contribution as Matthew Revis claimed 3-26, and they trail by 288.

Paul Walter is in no mood for playing for the close.

He swats Matthew Potts square and is almost caught, but the ball slips under the diving fielder and goes for his second boundary of the over. He moves to 79.

One over to go - two runs needed for a first batting point.

Nick Gubbins turns the first ball away for one and Felix Organ ducks a leg side bouncer.

There is a leg slip in place but the next ball is too wide for Organ to play it and that's a great diving take by keeper Michael Burgess.

Now a silly mid off comes in.

The fifth ball is short and turned to fine leg for no run.

Long leg is in now and a first slip.

Organ blocks safely into the off side and Hampshire get through to day three with eight wickets standing and a lead of 132.

The visiting team will be disappointed to lose the in form Fletcha Middleton just before the close in what could be a very tense contest, but Nick Gubbins holds firm for a patient unbeaten 24 off 104 balls.

How many will be enough on this surface, which has offered movement for much of the day but flattened out somewhat in the last hour or so of play?

Matt Critchley sweeps Callum Parkinson to the fence to bring up his third half-century of the season.

It's been a patient knock, off a symmetrical 111 balls, with just the four fours and a six, and was just what his team required. A 29th career first-class fifty.

And he took four wickets earlier. What you'd call a good day's work.

Two overs to go.

Olly Stone will bowl the final over of a long, hot day two at Trent Bridge.

James Rew defends, defends, than plays a fine stroke through the covers which just beats Haseeb Hameed to the boundary.

Three dots and that's your lot.

Tom Abell's century and 87 from Tom Lammonby have put Somerset firmly in the box seat as they look to keep pace with Division One leaders Surrey.

After wrapping up the Notts innings for 360 this morning, the visitors have chipped the deficit down to just 67 with six wickets in hand, largely thanks to a 157-stand between the two Toms.

Two quick wickets fell this evening as Tom Banton fell soon after Lammonby.

But an unbroken 67-run stand between Abell (105) and Rew (35) has put Somerset in a strong position heading into day three.

A single for Jake Libby is the only addition in the final over of a day in which the headlines were made by Surrey's Dan Lawrence.

After completing a century during the morning, he suddenly 'took off' in the afternoon, hitting five successive sixes in an over which cost England spinner 38 runs.

He was the last Surrey man out for 175 but then took two wickets to leave Worcestershire in dire straits.

Captain Jake Libby has stood firm with 61 not out off 161 balls, but unless they can extend the innings well into day three, they are likely to be finding themselves following on.

A couple of overs left tonight. Can Warwickshire prize out another one?

Danny Briggs bowls outside off to Felix Organ, who leaves the ball.

Organ is well forward to block out the over and now Nick Gubbins will face Craig Miles - bowling a one-over spell.

Frank Watson
BBC Hereford & Worcester

One imagines that any faint (survival) hopes that Worcestershire have depend on Jake Libby.

Mason Crane sees out the last over of the day, bowled by leg spinner Alex Russell and Glamorgan have a healthy lead of 111.

With two days of play left in the match, Crane (1 not out) and his batting partner James Harris (26 not out) have license to thrill tomorrow morning should the hosts wish to bat on.

Northants hopes were raised briefly with the wicket of Kiran Carlson just before Glamorgan passed their first innings score at 267-5 but Glamorgan have had much the better of Day Two.

Victoria Polley
BBC Essex

That's the 100 partnership between Matt Critchley and Paul Walter.

Essex were looking in a spot of trouble when Jordan Cox went, but Critchley who scored 38 in that time and Walter with his 61 from 167 balls have crucially added runs as Essex try and cut the deficit left by the Durham innings.

Olly Stone overpitches and Tom Abell says thank you very much, turning it into the onside for his 12th boundary to bring up three figures off 202 balls.

It’s been a magnificent knock in just his second championship match of the campaign and is his 15th career first-class century.

End-of-day beer or protein shake well and truly earned. No doubt it will taste very, very good.

He has put Somerset in a super position.

Steady stuff from Paul Walter and Matt Critchley against some tight bowling from Peter Siddle and Matthew Potts as they look to bat through to the close.

Walter clips a single off Potts and brings up the 100 partnership off 167 balls.

A brilliant response from the Essex middle order.