Matt Parkinson has four more than in his last innings, but it cannot be any more valuable than his contribution at Aigburth last Thursday.

Coming in as last man with his team two runs short of victory, Parkinson had to survive two balls of Mason Crane's over.

If he had fallen to the leg-spinner, Hampshire would have been Champions regardless of what Warwickshire did to Somerset on Friday.

Lancashire's number 11 Matt Parkinson shows the rest of the batters how it should be done as he hits Manraj Johal for four through the covers.

A lovely way to get off the mark.

Alex Hartley
England spinner on BBC 5 live sports extra

Craig Miles almost has his name on the Lord's honours board with a fifth wicket. He squares up Luke Wood, who in trying to hit it through mid-wicket, actually ends up lifting it uppishly just past a diving Danny Briggs at cover.

Alex Hartley
England spinner on BBC 5 live sports extra

Jack Blatherwick to face Manraj Johal in the first over after lunch.

Image source, Getty Images

Before we focus again on the play at Lord's, it's only right to pay tribute to the man after whom this match is named.

It didn't happen last year, but it's appropriate that Warwickshire should be one of the teams contesting the Bob Willis Trophy.

After beginning his career with Surrey, the fast bowler moved on to Edgbaston in 1972 and spent 12 years with the club before retiring in 1984.

He took 325 wickets in 80 Tests, captaining England in 18 of them, and famously claimed a career-best 8-43 in a never-to-be-forgotten win over Australia at Headingley in the 1981 Ashes series.

Willis later became a summariser and commentator for the BBC and then Sky but died aged 70 in December 2019 from prostate cancer.

I shouldn't take up a career as a weatherman. The stoppage will only be 25 minutes and Lancashire's innings will start again at 1.35pm.

Rain stops playpublished at 13:15 British Summer Time 28 September 2021

13:15 BST 28 September 2021

Lancashire 57-8 v Warwickshire

The covers are on and the players will be sticking around in the dressing room for a good while yet as the rain comes down at Lord's.

I bet Lancashire wish it had come about three hours ago and their nightmare morning session may not have happened.

@mikebirty: "Declare at lunch? #bbccricket, external"

Now that would be the equivalent of Lancashire setting a very hungry cat loose among the north London pigeon population

@mutinyfan: "So much whinging about the pitch, but there's a lot of loose shots here."

The 2021 Professional Cricketers' Association awards have been announced this lunchtime - with a Yorkshire double for Joe Root and Harry Brook in the men's categories.

A tremendous achievement by Eve Jones in the Women's Player of the Year award, coming out on top from a shortlist which also included England's Nat Sciver and Sophia Dunkley.

Women's Young Player of the Year: Alice Capsey (Oval Invincibles/South East Stars)

Men's Young Player of the Year: Harry Brook (Yorkshire)

Women's Player of the Year: Eve Jones (Birmingham Phoenix/Central Sparks)

Men's Player of the Year: Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Image source, Getty Images

In case you missed the morning's action at the home of cricket - it's been a pretty hectic one, with only one brief weather interruption.

After being put in by Warwickshire skipper Will Rhodes, Lancashire slumped to 12-6 during an inspired opening spell by Liam Norwell (2-9) and Craig Miles (4-25).

Luke Wood and Josh Bohannon put on 35 before Bohannon and Tom Bailey became Manraj Johal's first two victims in senior red-ball cricket.

Lancashire's lowest ever total against the Bears is 70 - in 1955 - and they still have work to do to avoid setting a very unwelcome record.

Well deserved award for Kiran Carlson after his 928 Championship runs at an average of 48. Chris Cooke a bit unlucky, though.

Lancashire (158) beat Somerset (55 and 79) by an innings and 24 runs

Roy Tattersall took 13 wickets (7-25 and 6-44) in the match for Lancashire. Brian Statham took 4-13 in the second innings.

It was played just four days after celebrations of Queen Elizabeth's coronation took place on the Bath city council-owned Recreation Ground, next door to the rugby club.

Image source, Rex Features

Long-serving Somerset all-rounder Bertie Buse had unfortunately chosen it as his benefit match, as it was in his home town - and they only played one week there a year.

Reportedly, he was asked afterwards if he would like another benefit match, but said he couldn't afford one.

In the event, the county sportingly waived their costs, and a fund was set up to raise money for Buse, so he wasn't out of pocket. But he didn't help matters himself. In the Lancashire innings, he took 6-41.

Surrey (146) beat Warwickshire (45 and 52) by an innings and 49 runs.

Warwickshire were beaten in a single day by Surrey at The Oval.

Alec Bedser took 8-18 in the first innings and 12 wickets in the match, and Jim Laker took a second-innings hat-trick.

You'd think that might not have happened again for a while. But these were the days of uncovered wickets and slightly less sophisticated modern-day groundstaff techonology.

And just three weeks later . . .

At one stage this morning, it looked like the Bob Willis Trophy match might struggle to last one day, let alone the five allocated for it.

There have actually five been first-class matches since the Second World War when a game has both started and been completed on the first scheduled day.

Warwickshire and Lancashire have each featured in one of them . . .

If Lancashire need reason for hope, you only have to think back three weeks when Warwickshire bowled out Hampshire for 89 in the first innings and still lost the game by 60 runs.

In all, 20 wickets fell on the opening day at Edgbaston, with the Bears only managing 116 in their first innings.

Happy, though, they may be with the match position, the Warwickshire batters won't be relishing the prospect of going out there today at Lord's.

Image source, Getty Images

Sky Sports, who are covering this match live, cut to the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders during the brief rain break.

But it's hard to imagine there being more drama over in Sharjah than what we have seen this morning in St John's Wood.

Alex Hartley
England spinner on BBC 5 live sports extra