Summary

  • County Championship returned for second phase of the season

  • 18 teams split into three divisions of six depending on placings earlier in season

  • Winners of Division One will be crowned county champions after next four matches

  • Warwickshire's Chris Benjamin makes 127 on Championship debut

  • Sam Hain also finished 113 not out v Lancashire

  • Zak Crawley scored 50 for Kent v Leicestershire following England omission

  • Robbie White scored maiden first-class ton for Middlesex v Derbyshire

Live Reporting

Adam Williams and Adam Lanigan

  1. Tea being served again at New Road

    Sussex 152-7 v Worcestershire

    Ged Scott
    BBC Sport at New Road

    One of the great traditions in English cricket is tea.

    And nowhere in the country is more synonymous with tea than in the Ladies Pavilion at New Road.

    They only serve teas at County Championship games and, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, today's home game with Sussex is the first Championship game here since September 2019.

    Ladies pavilion, New RoadGed Scott - BBC Sport

    Which is why it was with great pride that Dave Bradley, the man on the tannoy at New Road, was able to come on and announce that "for the first time in two years, tea and cakes are being served in the Ladies Pavilion"!

    It even drew a round of applause. Also, he tells me, his first for two years!

  2. Divisions Two and Three latest

    As we move towards tea, time for a look at how fixtures in the other two divisions are shaping up.

    In Division Two, Essex bowled Glamorgan out for just 134 with Shane Snater taking 6-39.

    Alastair Cook though lasted just three balls in reply as he fell caught behind to Lukas Carey for a duck. Essex now 28-1.

    Northamptonshire are 177-5 against Gloucestershire with Adam Rossington (34 not out) trying to hold up the visitors' middle order.

    In Division Three, Kent are 171-1 against Leicestershire. Jack Leaning (36 not out) rescuing things a touch after a middle-order collapse, four wickets for Callum Parkinson.

    Half-centuries from Robbie White (84 not out) and Martin Andersson (53) have helped Middlesex on to 172-5 against Derbyshire at Lord's.

    While at New Road, Sussex have battled to 150-7 against Worcestershire. Ali Orr earlier made 52 while Dan Ibrahim (36 not out) has dug in.

  3. Into the Lord Beefy stand

    Somerset v Nottinghamshire 165-4

    Mullaney with the shot of the day at Taunton as he comes down the wicket and launches Jack Leach straight into the Lord Ian Botham stand.

    That's knight of the realm, recently appointed trade envoy to Australia, but forever Beefy!

  4. 150 runs

    150

    Somerset v Nottinghamshire 151-4

    The 150 is up for Notts, but it has been hard going this afternoon.

    Notts skipper Steven Mullaney has hit a couple of nice fours, but the innings feels like it's finely poised as to how it will go.

  5. 150 runs

    150 partnership

    Lancashire v Warwickshire 160-2

    Hain and BenjaminRex Features

    A super third-wicket partnership between Chris Benjamin and Sam Hain is now worth 153, having started in trouble at 7-2.

    Matt Parkinson is back on the field and back bowling after his brief departure, but his over goes for 12 with Hain striking back-to-back fours.

  6. Brook settling in

    Hampshire v Yorkshire 96-3

    The pressure remains very much on Yorkshire at the Ageas Bowl, but Harry Brook has just collected his first boundary for the visitors, opening the face and dabbing a ball from Kyle Abbott down to third man. Gary Ballance is on 24 at the other end.

  7. wicket

    WICKET Clarke c Davies b Abell 59

    Somerset v Nottinghamshire 140-4

    AbellGetty Images

    Joe Clarke has gone! Home skipper Tom Abell brings himself back on and strikes with the first ball of his new spell.

    He drops short and Clarke goes to pull but gets a bottom edge and Steven Davies shows good reflexes to snare the catch behind the wicket.

  8. 50 runs

    50 for Sam Hain

    Lancashire v Warwickshire 129-2

    A glorious four through cover brings up Sam Hain's 50 off 118 balls. After coming in this morning in the fifth over, Hain has played very nicely indeed.

    That is a sixth half century of the season, but he is yet to convert one into three figures - can he change that this afternoon?

  9. wicket

    WICKET Kohler-Cadmore c Mcmanus b Abbott 20

    Hampshire v Yorkshire 84-3

    Tom Kohler-Cadmore fought and he fought to survive against some testing Hampshire bowling but he eventually falls to become Kyle Abbott's third wicket.

    A fuller length ball from the South African temps Kohler-Cadmore into the drive and his thin outside edge is taken behind the stumps by Lewis McManus.

    After 91 balls of toil, he has to depart bringing Harry Brook to the middle to join Gary Ballance.

  10. Painful for Parkinson

    Lancashire v Warwickshire 121-2

    Lancashire and England bowler Matt Parkinson needs the trainer to come on. In fielding a ball off his own bowling from Chris Benjamin, it ricocheted off his hand into his face and Parkinson is leaving the field for a bit of treatment.

  11. Also live this afternoon

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    We'll also have a full round-up for you later on the BBC Sport website and app to tell you who will be playing at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday in the finals.

    Stay tuned.

  12. Divisions Two and Three latest

    In Division Two, Essex continue to get joy with the ball against Glamorgan, reducing the hosts to 91-8 at Sofia Gardens.

    Northamptonshire have moved on to 115-3 against Gloucestershire. Emilio Gay making 44 before Matt Taylor trapped him leg before.

    In Division Three, Leicestershire have come roaring back with the ball against Kent.

    The visitors have collapsed from 79-1 to 116-7. Callum Parkinson with 4-31.

    Middlesex are continuing to rebuild against Derbyshire. Robbie White and Martin Andersson have 53 so far for the fifth wicket to move them on to 105-4.

    At New Road, Sussex's young side have slumped from 46-1 to 97-6 against Worcestershire as Joe Leach leads the way for the Pears with three wickets.

  13. 50 runs

    50 for Chris Benjamin

    Lancashire v Warwickshire 102-2

    Chris Benjamin's dream summer continues. After an instant impression in T20 cricket and then The Hundred, he's done the same in the Championship.

    A half-century on debut for a fellow Durham University graduate. The frightening thing is I started at Durham just a few months after Benjamin was born!

  14. 50 runs

    50 for Joe Clarke

    Somerset v Nottinghamshire 123/3

    A good half century from Joe Clarke as he reaches it from 97 balls with five fours and a six as he anchors Notts' innings thanks to his sixth fifty of the season.

  15. Two set batsmen

    Lancashire v Warwickshire 100-2

    It's been a quiet start since the lunch break at Old Trafford, where Warwickshire have quietly accumulated 23 runs from nine overs.

    Chris Benjamin and Sam Hain have both moved into the 40s and are closing in on a fine century partnership.

  16. Yorkshire's grind continues

    Hampshire v Yorkshire 72-2

    Gary Ballance (8 off 24 balls) digs in early on after he came to the middle just two balls into this afternoon session.

    Tom Kohler-Cadmore (17 off 69 balls) is also having to rein-in his natural attacking instinct against some probing Hampshire bowling.

  17. Get Involved

    Tweet using #bbccricket

    Alex Wavell: But it isn't half points carried forward from one game. It's half points from two games: The home game and the away game from your fellow group opponent. And that is the average equivalent of full points from one game. Seems perfectly fair and logical to me.

    But why not just take all the points from both those matches forward? They did that in the World Cup Super Six/Eight phases in previous years. We could end up with a scenario where someone wins the title by 0.5 of a point.

  18. 100 runs

    100

    Somerset v Nottinghamshire 105-3

    Shortly after the fall of Northeast, the century is up for the visitors in slightly fortuitous fashion.

    Joe Clarke tries to hook Jack Brooks but gets a top edge over third man all the way for six.

  19. wicket

    WICKET Northeast lbw b Davey 34

    Somerset v Nottinghamshire 97-3

    DaveyGetty Images

    Just after bringing up the 50 partnership with Joe Clarke, Sam Northeast is heading back to the pavilion.

    After playing nicely for 34, he plays around a good ball from Josh Davey and is trapped in front. A good reward for Davey after a testing spell before lunch as Somerset pick up their first bowling point.

  20. Get Involved

    Tweet using #bbccricket

    Rudha-an: If the new format remains, then make the Bob Willis Trophy a play-off/final for divisions 2/3. Give them something to play for.

    AM: Why only carry forward half of the points from the phase one game eg Notts-Warks? Surely either carry all the points to give it equal value to the other phase two games, or replay it? Or carry all points from phase one to represent a more national competition?

    Agree with the half-points observation AM. Not sure what difference that makes.