Essex are convinced they have Alex Davies - he suggests he played the ball into the ground and umpire Neil Mallender agrees.

There's the first boundary for Warwickshire and it's a bit of a gift as Shane Snater angles one onto leg stump and Dom Sibley helps it on its way to fine leg.

You can only imagine what Craig Overton is thinking.

A short of a delivery gets big on Rory Burns and he has no control over a pull shot, but the ball flies off the top edge over the keeper and away for four runs.

Burns has 17 and Ryan Patel is 27 not out - a bowling change by Somerset may be in the offing.

No joy for their seamers, so Hampshire now have spinners Felix Organ and Mason Crane operating together at Canterbury. Two singles in Crane's second over and Ben Compton is 53 not out, with Jordan Cox on 14.

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Another tidy over from Sam Cook yields only a single to Dom Sibley - but it's two or three quick wickets that Essex need to sow one or two seeds of doubt in the home dressing room.

If Somerset want to make a contest of this, they are going to have to stop the flow of boundaries. Ryan Patel runs Peter Siddle down to third man at the start of a new over and he is 25 not out, with Rory Burns on 12.

Craig Overton tries out Ryan Patel with a short one and is pulled heartily over mid-wicket for four runs.

His length is wrong again two balls later and the left-hander cracks it away between cover and mid-off for another.

Many years ago you might have seen Sir Garfield Sobers play that shot.

Alex Davies flourished only briefly with his aggressive approach in the first innings. How will the former Lancashire man fare this time?

He is content to play out an opening maiden from Sam Cook as Warwickshire look to avoid any early alarms.

Peter Siddle is bowling a full length at the Oval and Ryan Patel punches him down the ground for four at the start of his latest over.

The former Australia pace bowler took 6-51 in the first innings and he is a danger to Surrey's chances of reaching this target.

Gloucestershire were looking pretty helpless last night.

160+ overs in the field, forced to watch Josh Bohannon compile an epic 231 - with some frustrations along the way - and then losing their top three before the close.

They will take hope from the way Lancs were able to make untroubled progress but know that the home attack contains some sharper weapons.

One of whom - legspinner Matt Parkinson - Glos were hoping to avoid on the final day having won the toss.

Miles Hammond and Graeme van Buuren have got through the opening 45 minutes.

Just the 83 overs to go lads!

A good start to the final day for Leicestershire.

They’ll need to bat most of it to rescue a draw.

They pulled off an extraordinary late escape against Worcestershire in round one.

But surely this is too big an ask today?

40 minutes unscathed with Louis Kimber going well on 40.

for Ben Comptonpublished at 11:43 British Summer Time 24 April 2022

11:43 BST 24 April 2022

Kent 305 & 103-3 v Hampshire 652-6 dec

After scores of 129, 104 not out, 115 and 27, there is another half-century for Kent opener Ben Compton as he pushes Mohammad Abbas to mid-off and sprints through for a single. This one has taken him 115 balls and he is key to Kent's hopes of saving this match.

Rory Burns strokes a confident boundary through the covers in Craig Overton's second over.

The bat, though, was a long way away from the body - Burns beware.

Kent's batters are understandably avoiding risk, but there is no danger to Jordan Cox as Mohammad Abbas strays outside leg stump and he flicks it to fine leg for four. They are 253 in arrears.

Sam Cook collects four to backward point off Craig Miles and Essex now have a three-figure lead at Edgbaston.

Partner Simon Harmer's timing has been a little awry so far this morning and he's been on the receiving end of some short stuff too.

Image source, Rex Features