Craig Overton is back straight after lunch for another burst. It's a decent over, costing him three runs, but Ryan Patel and Hashim Amla are still there.

The teams are back in the middle at the six grounds. Which ones will be celebrating victories later this afternoon? Stay with us to find out.

There will be another full complement of nine Championship fixtures starting on Thursday when, perhaps, a few more England players will make their seasonal bows.

Here is the full list of games and we will, of course, have the usual full coverage.

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex v Northamptonshire

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Surrey

Southampton: Hampshire v Lancashire

Taunton: Somerset v Warwickshire

Headingley: Yorkshire v Kent

Division Two

Derby: Derbyshire v Glamorgan

Lord's: Middlesex v Leicestershire

Nottingham: Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire

Hove: Sussex v Durham

Division One

Kent 305 & 161-3 v Hampshire 652-6 dec

Lancashire 556-7 dec v Gloucestershire 252 & 116-5

Northamptonshire 204 & 123-3 v Yorkshire 296 & 406-3 dec

Surrey 308 & 81-1 v Somerset 337 & 207

Warwickshire 385 & 40-0 v Essex 168 & 323

Division Two

Leicestershire 213 & 210-8 v Derbyshire 531

It is looking like the pitch will be the only winner at Canterbury after a morning session which couldn't have gone any better for Kent.

Ben Compton and Jordan Cox batted right through, but the home side still require another 186 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Compton's appetite for runs remains insatiable and he is 79 not out, with Cox on 34 - and their stand is worth 96.

Surrey looking like favourites at the moment after being set a target of 237 by Somerset at the start of play.

Rory Burns departed to a loose shot, but Ryan Patel is batting very nicely and reached 50 off 60 balls with a couple of runs from a thick edge off Jack Leach in the session's last over but one.

He is 50 not and Hashim Amla has 14 - another 156 are needed by the home side.

Leicestershire have got through to lunch with Callum Parkinson now taking up the resistance.

But two wickets for Suranga Lakmal have put Derbyshire firmly on course to wrap up victory this afternoon.

No joy for Yorkshire in 24 overs last night but three wickets this morning to give them a great chance of forcing victory this afternoon.

Haris Rauf produced two sharp short balls to remove Ricardo Vasconcelos and Emilio Gay.

It's that type of point-of-difference bowling that is often needed late in games at Northampton.

Will Young leads the resistance for the hosts on 57.

Matt Parkinson hoping to bowl his side to victory this afternoon to further press his case for a place in England's Test side.

He's produced two sharply-turning balls to remove Graeme van Buuren and Ryan Higgins this morning.

Lancashire well on their way to victory.

Nick Gledhill
BBC Essex

Image source, Rex Features

Warwickshire remain very much on course for their first win of the season with the openers still together and the target down to 67 at lunch.

The closest Essex have come to a breakthrough was when Alex Davies appeared to edge Sam Cook to slip but the umpires backed his claim that he had played the ball into the ground.

Earlier, Simon Harmer finished unbeaten on 75 as the last two Essex wickets added a further 33. But they have been trying to catch up in this game ever since their astonishing mid-innings collapse on the opening day. That is what has made the difference.

Jack Leach comes into the attack for Somerset with only a few minutes to go until lunch. A single to Ryan Patel is the only addition from his first over - and the opener now has 45 not out.

This may be the key moment for Essex as South Africa spin bowler Simon Harmer takes up the attack. Two singles from his opening over and Warwickshire need another 82. Dom Sibley is 15 not out and Alex Davies has nine.

Ben Compton and Jordan Cox reach a 50 partnership as the latter takes a single off Mason Crane.

Compton is 55 not out, Cox is on 22 and Kent's overnight pair are still together, which is very good news indeed for their side.

Alex Davies is finally under way for Warwickshire with a boundary through backward point off Shane Snater.

It didn't look as it he was aiming there so it's something of a moral victory for the bowler - but Essex need actual victories.

By the way, Dan Lawrence is not out there fielding for Essex following his second-day hamstring injury.

Image source, Rex Features

Ryan Patel shows his departed skipper (Rory Burns) how to do it by safely pulling Jack Brooks for four. The next ball disappears through the off-side for another boundary as Patel progresses to 37 not out.

Josh Davey is now operating at the other end and his first tow overs were maidens. No sign of Jack Leach yet.

for Will Youngpublished at 12:31 British Summer Time 24 April 2022

12:31 BST 24 April 2022

Northants 103-3 need 499 to beat Yorks

In trouble early on the final morning, Northamptonshire desperately need their overseas batsman Will Young to make a score - and more pertinently bat some time.

He's got to fifty in 125 balls with seven fours, including a sweet straight drive off Jordan Thompson.

Bears opener Alex Davies is certainly reining in his attacking instincts - he has faced 33 balls so far and has yet to score.

Eleven overs have been completed but time is not a factor in this game. Unless Essex take wickets, they will lose.

You can't bowl that line to Hashim Amla, who has been there, seen it and bought t-shirts in a variety of colours as far as batting is concerned.

Jack Brooks strays onto the South African's pads and he tucks it away for an easy four.

From BikuWandering: "Finish this sentence: 'Matt Parkinson doesn't get in the England XI because______.' #CricketTwitter, external#bbccricket, external"