Jordan Thompson edges past the slips for four, but that's much more like it as he stands tall and punches Ben Green's next ball away to the point boundary.

Archie Vaughan will have his first bowl of the innings from the other end.

Marcus Harris eventually gets his first runs from his 16th delivery with a lovely punch down the ground of Michael Cohen.

Hampshire are in a slightly more precarious position than they were earlier on in this match because of an eight-point reduction for a pitch ruled as "sub-standard" earlier in the season at home to Sussex.

That was confirmed a few hours ago.

So a win here would be very helpful.

Bjorn Fortuin, the South African left arm spinner is coming on.

Single to Tom Haines and Sean Hunt defends.

A bit more flight and again Hunt blocks. Just the one run from the over.

I'm not sure they're trying to chase this anymore y'know.

That said Josh Bohannon picks up the length of left-armer Michael Cohen and whips him away to deep backward square leg for a boundary to move to 8* from 19 balls.

Marcus Harris is yet to get off the mark from 14 deliveries.

The players are back in the middle. Jack Leach delivers two dot balls to finish the over he was in the middle of when rain arrived.

Ben Green will bowl the next - Adam Lyth and Dom Bess are the not out Yorkshire batters. There are 46 left in the day, in theory.

A huge shock of forked lightning above Chelmsford has taken the players off for safety grounds and spectators are being asked to seek shelter.

Ben Raine and Matt Potts have added 47 since coming together at 96-7 and how precious it could be.

An early tea will be taken as the storm rolls in.

Durham will hope it stays a while. Essex will be doing a sun dance.

Keith Barker draws Sean Hunt forward into a play and miss outside the off stump.

More width this time and Hunt leaves the ball.

In one sense, Hunt has already done a job (on night watch duty) to see out Day Two - so why not have a dart?

Here we go! Driven through the on side for four. That's the innings 50 in the 22nd over.

Image source, Getty Images

Kyle Abbott resumes from the Cromwell Road end and Tom Haines defends into mid off.

Hampshire need a win to put a bit more distance between themselves and current relegation spot holders, Worcestershire and Durham.

Haines leaves the ball outside off stump.

Matt Potts lines up a cut shot off Matt Critchley and gets all of it as the ball flies away to the deep point boundary to take him to 24*.

The lead is 16.

The floodlights are on at Chelmsford and the sky looks very ominous indeed.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

It's looking murky. I think that's going to be the order of the day for however long we have some play between now and the close.

There's a few breaks in the clouds.

Even with the pitch looking as though it was starting to get a little bit easier towards the end of day two, I think Sussex will be the happier of the two sides with what looks to be an inevitable draw.

Four balls left in the rain-interrupted over.

Kyle Abbott is bowling to Tom Haines, who is 15 not out.

Sean Hunt had a couple of lives in the mini session of play before the latest rain delay, and he has 15.

37.4 overs left in the day and about a run a ball required from here for the hosts.

Tom Westley has whipped off his jumper and the skipper will bowl some of his occasion off-spin, with his bowlers labouring with Shane Snater out of the action and Doug Bracewell not 100%.

Ben Raine moves to 22* with a single to mid-on with Matt Potts 19* at the other end.

They came together at 96-7 trying to stave off an innings defeat and after a stand of 38 and the threat of bad weather incoming, they might have given their side a chance of avoiding defeat entirely.

They lead by 10. 36 overs in theory remain, but that would be reduced by two for the change of innings anyway.

Tea remains at 15:30.

We will let you know if there is any reduction of overs.

We have been off the field since 14:00.

42 overs remaining after this one from Calvin Harrison and it feels like we are in draw territory.

Spin at both ends. Saif Zaib returns, this time bowling from the David Capel End.

Nirvan Ramesh, who might have bowled at this stage is off the field with a leg injury sustain in the field trying to protect the boundary.

Chris Cooke is forward to defend down the pitch.

Maiden over.

Image source, Getty Images

Ben Raine and Matt Potts have inched Durham into a one run lead with a gritty 29-run stand which is putting some of their colleagues to shame, if truth be told.

Wide from Joey Evison allowing Luke Wells to bend the knee and crack away through the covers for four, his fourth of the chase.

He has 19* from 18 balls with Josh Bohannon on 3* from nine at the other end.

They are just below the required six an over through the opening six overs, but the early loss of Keaton Jennings won't have helped their chances.

Richard Rae
BBC Radio Leicester Sport

If Leicestershire can emerge with a draw from this game - 53 potential overs remaining in the day - and it looks now increasingly likely as though the Derbyshire v Middlesex game ends in a draw.

If that is the case then a draw for Leicestershire will result in enough points for them - 12 in fact - for the promotion to be confirmed.

It's unlikely we are done for the day here. There is blue sky behind these shower clouds that are coming over but there is going to be, I would suggest, a fairly substantial delay.