Kevin Hand
BBC Radio London commentator

Northamptonshire have won all five sessions of the match so far and hold a very strong position at tea on day two.

Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins gave the visitors a solid start but when time former fell to a loose backfoot shot off West Indies skipper Jason Holder, Middlesex were in a perilous position on 56-3.

The sunshine of the morning session made way for a cloudier afternoon, which ended with the floodlights on, but all credit goes to the hosts for putting to the sword a side full to the brim of players with international aspirations.

Alastair Cook takes a single from the second ball of Kyle Abbott's opening over, but the umpires decide the light isn't good enough at the Ageas Bowl for play to continue and the teams leave the field for an early tea. Cook has 17 not out, with three boundaries, and partner Tom Westley is on three.

Cook's stats before the start of this innings are below. The word, we believe, is 'quality'.

Image source, .

Adam Lyth times an on-drive beautifully to score four off the bowling of Jake Ball. Mike Atherton likes to say that a smoothly functioning on-drive indicates a player is in good nick. If so, Adam Lyth could be set for a big score, as he's hit a couple of nice on-drives in this innings.

Samit Patel is into the attack as Nottinghamshire seek to break the partnership. Root skips down the wicket to attack the second ball of the over, but doesn't quite get into a position to hit it.

Lyth is on 70, with Root on 26.

Anthony Gibson
BBC Somerset commentator

Honours to Kent in an extended afternoon session, after play finally got under way at 10 past one. Their seamers have bowled well enough on a pitch offering some movement and carry, although several of the Somerset batsmen were complicit in their own demise, playing loosely outside off-stump.

Tom Abell, dropped by Kent stand-in keeper Ollie Robinson early on, has been the pick of the batsmen, on 48 not out, whilst young Matt Milnes has impressed for Kent with 2-33 on debut.

Suddenly it's a different game at Hove where Sussex are 105-1 in their second innings against Leicestershire. Tom Haines has just fallen lbw to Colin Ackermann from the final ball before tea, but Phil Salt is 58 not out and they are 26 runs ahead after earlier dismissing the visitors for 252.

Jason Holder has taken 2-16 so far to help reduce Middlesex to 74-3 in reply to Northamptonshire's 445 all out. England's Dawid Malan is now batting on 13 not out.

Derbyshire's Luis Reece has avoided a pair against Durham, with his side 21-0 in their second innings - a lead of 47. Reece took 5-47 in Durham's first innings.

Tom Abell square cuts the penultimate delivery before tea for four to reach 48 not out, but it's Kent who will be the happier side after the match's belated start after the loss of four sessions.

The visitors have rotated their seamers - with Darren Stevens the only one not to take a wicket so far - and removing Steven Davies just before the break was a big boost after a stand of exactly 50 with Abell.

Somerset do bat low, but have work to do to dig themselves out of a hole, partly of their own making, with one or two rash shots resulting in wickets falling.

50 partnership between Adam Lyth and Joe Root. It's taken them only 37 minutes and 52 balls.

Lyth has moved to 59, courtesy of a powerful pull off the bowling of Steve Mullaney that almost cleared the ropes, whilst Root is on 21.

Still no sign of a Broad vs Root clash, but I'm sure we won't be waiting for too much longer if the England captain sticks around...

Nick Gledhill
BBC Essex

Essex have just got underway in response to Hampshire's 525-8 declared with, realistically, only a draw to play for. Sir Alastair Cook has already struck a couple of boundaries off Fidel Edwards as he and Nick Browne look to get established.

A good declaration from James Vince has given his bowlers a short session before tea to try to make an impact on this docile pitch. He needs all the time available because the light may well be a factor in the final session.

Lyth reaches half-centurypublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 6 April 2019

15:36 BST 6 April 2019

Notts 408 v Yorkshire 112-2

Adam Lyth brings up a stylish half-century with a nudge into the off-side. 10 fours in this knock so far, with the 50 coming off 87 balls.

Lyth is very much England's forgotten man, isn't he? I wonder whether a stellar County Championship season would bring him anywhere near the thinking of England's selectors. He's an Ashes winner, of course...

Image source, Getty Images

Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle

Durham’s batsmen found the going tough as they scratched around on day two, eventually out for 171 in Derby where Luis Reece took the second five-for of his career.

Alex Lees top-scored with 32 and Jack Burnham, playing in his first game after a drugs ban, managed to make his way to 31 and put on 40 for the seventh wicket with Liam Trevaskis either side of lunch.

But when he tried to cut a loose ball from Reece, he edged to the keeper. Trevaskis then perished from the next ball at the other end on 15 and Durham were soon out, despite a quick-fire 20 from Ben Raine which included the first six of the game.

This has the makings of a slow-burning low-scoring encounter.

Operation Make-Them-Pay is underway for Joe Root. He shuffles on to his back foot and punches a boundary behind square on the off-side, before Adam Lyth moves onto 42 with a well-timed leg-slide glance.

Ton up.

Image source, Rex Features

It's been a funny old game for Derbyshire all-rounder Luis Reece.

Dismissed by the first ball of the match on the opening morning, he has taken 5-47 to earn a 26-run first-innings lead for his side.

Reece completed his five-for when Ben Raine skied an attempted leg-side blow and Tom Lace took the catch.

Another of his victims was Jack Burnham, caught for 31 in his first Championship innings following a one-year ban for giving a positive drugs test.

Root dropped at third slippublished at 15:15 British Summer Time 6 April 2019

15:15 BST 6 April 2019

Notts 408 v Yorkshire 83-2

Paul Coughlin really will be cursing his luck. He turns Joe Root around and finds the England captain's outside edge, but Ben Duckett floors a tough-ish chance.

Will the home side regret that?

Alex Winter
BBC Radio Northampton sport

Very chilly at Wantage Road in a steady breeze as Northamptonshire try and get on top in this game, bowling with the rare luxury of big scoreboard pressure.

If they can show the same patience with the ball as their fine effort with the bat and chip away this afternoon, they could take control - but there is a lot of high-class batting to get through.

Like when he came out to bat yesterday, Jason Holder's introduction to the attack was greeted with a cheer and it's the West Indies captain who has found the breakthrough.

The Nottinghamshire fielders' cry of anguish suggests that Luke Fletcher's first ball at Joe Root almost took out the England captain's off stump. It didn't.

Root then twice drives for four. The second, especially, was very Joe Root.

Adam Lyth has moved along to 36 at the other end.

It's 500 up for Hampshire - but it wasn't a convincing shot by Keith Barker, who top edges a pull shot off Jamie Porter and picks up one as the ball drops into space in the outfield. The home side have faced 767 balls to get there and the Essex bowlers must be feeling pretty weary.