Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle

If Durham had designs on chasing down their target at 6.6 per over that soon ended inside the first seven overs.

South African opener Steven Cook looked furious to be given out for a second ball duck, lbw to David Payne, amid suggestions he hit the ball. 

Graham Clark soon followed him back to the pavilion as he lofted a legside shot off Liam Norwell to George Hankins on the boundary when on seven.

And having survived two previous appeals for lbw, Paul Collingwood batting at number four, was given out when Payne struck his pads again. He only made four and that left Durham reeling on 15-3 after 6.4 overs. Time for them to drop anchor and go for survival. 

Sussex sign West Indies pace bowler Jerome Taylor for the One-Day Cup group stages as a replacement for Vernon Philander.

Durham have made a disastrous start to their second innings as Graham Clark and Paul Collingwood are forced to trudge back to pavilion after falling to Liam Norwell and David Payne respectively.

Gloucestershire's bowlers have reduced the visitors to 36-3 at Bristol and the home side may well fancy their chances of bowling out Durham in the remaining 23 overs.

Meanwhile, Glamorgan have lost their fourth wicket at Grace Road after Zak Chappell had Jacques Rudolph caught behind for 19.

The visitors are 74-4 and Leicestershire too will have victory on their minds with 30 overs still remaining.

Warwickshire faced a tricky final day at Edgbaston, but Ian Bell (99), Tim Ambrose (85) and Keith Barker (70 not out) secured a draw against Surrey.

The visitors had few opportunities with the ball on day four, but Tom Curran struck twice in consecutive over in the afternoon session to give Surrey hope of pushing for victory.

But, Barker's excellent innings, which included 13 fours, ensures the Bears picked up their first draw of the season after two heavy losses - a much needed one for Ashley Giles' side.

Ballance hits double-centurypublished at 16:49 British Summer Time 24 April 2017

16:49 BST 24 April 2017

Hampshire 455 draw with Yorkshire 231 & 399-6 dec

I've pretty much run out of superlatives to describe this batting performance by Yorkshire's captain. Having breezed past his previous best score for the county of 174 against Northants in 2014, he reaches a double century with a boundary - his 23rd - off Sean Ervine. And with that, he declares, the players shake hands and the game ends in a draw.

Let me just recap...Ballance's scores against Hampshire this season are 120, 55, 108 and 203 not out, and he batted for eight minutes short of 13 hours in this game. 

Hampshire bowled well on the final day, but loss of injured Brad Wheal left them an option short. They have one win and two draws from their first three games, while Yorkshire are W1 D1 L1.

After being bowled in 41.4 overs on the opening day at Old Trafford, and conceding a 169-run first-innings lead, that is a quite sensational victory for Lancashire.

All-rounder Ryan McLaren made 45 on the final day as they set Somerset a target of 295, and he has the final word by bowling last man Tim Gronewald for figures of 4-37. He was well supported by Jordan Clark (3-12) and the peerless Jimmy Anderson (2-30), who claimed the vital scalp of Marcus Trescothick.

So, Glen Chapple's side have one win and two draws from their opening three matches, while Somerset, who only just missed out on the title last season, have lost twice at the start of this one.

Barker reaches his half-centurypublished at 16:34 British Summer Time 24 April 2017

16:34 BST 24 April 2017

Warwickshire 332 & 403-8 (113 overs) v Surrey 437

Warwickshire have ensured that they're going to pick up five points from this match for the draw as Keith Barker reach his 50 off 64 balls with nine fours.

Surrey trail by 302 runs with 25 overs left in the day. You'd imagine the players will be shaking hands in the not too distant future at Edgbaston.

England selection, T20 changes and the season so far were among the subjects under discussion by Kevin Howells, Nick Hoult, Elizabeth Ammon, Will MacPherson and Brian Talbot during the tea interval on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. To download the podcast, click here.  

Stephen Cook's start as a Durham player has not begun well.

The South African opener is out for his second duck in as many matches as David Payne traps him plumb in front.

The visitors are chasing 205 runs to win in 30 overs but it's looking even more unlikely now.

Image source, Rex Features

Ravi Bopara, having batted so well to get to 32, sees his middle stump lying forlornly in the ground as off Steven Finn's second ball after the break. 

You'd have to say the end is nigh for Essex, who have a further 29.4 overs to survive.

Scott Read
BBC Radio Manchester Sport

An absorbing session of cricket has seen the game turn completely on its head, from 160 behind on first innings Lancashire head into the final session on the brink of victory. 

Set up by a brilliant spell of bowling from James Anderson after lunch as he sought to undermine the Somerset`s batting confidence. His spell to Marcus Trescothick and James Hildreath was as good as you'll see all season. 

After being bowled out for 109 on the first day, facing a sizeable deficit on first innings, this would be a remarkable victory for Lancashire.

Good news from Lord's for Middlesex as play is due to resume at 16:15 BST.

No word yet on how many overs have been lost.

Graham Onions bowls Chris Liddle for 21 to finish with 4-68 - and Durham have the task of scoring 205 in 31 overs to win at Bristol. Having begun the season on -48 points, a victory would certainly give them a lift. 

Thanks, Kalika. I've recently been in Spain where the rain supposedly stays mainly on the plain. But the rain at Lord's is just a pain as far as Middlesex are concerned. Barring a cloudburst at Old Trafford, though, we look likely to see a positive result there, with Lancashire pressing hard for an unlikely win - remember, they were bowled out for 109 on the opening day.

Image source, Rex Features

With the majority of matches at tea, it's a good time to hand back to Paul Grunill to take you through the final session of this round Championship cricket.

Immovable object. In cricketing terms, that description certainly applies to Gary Ballance. He now has 164 not out, having batted for 446 minutes in this innings, and his partnership with Tim Bresnan (31*) has added 83 runs in 39 overs. It's not pretty - but it is effective. Yorkshire are 121 ahead and looking likely to leave the Ageas Bowl with a draw.