Image source, PA Media

There has been plenty of great cricket played today, but standing tall above it all like one of the Colossi of Memnon - only wearing whites - was England captain Ben Stokes.

His 161 off 88 balls for Durham, featuring a Championship record 17 sixes, will live long in the memory of those at New Road to witness it.

There was more good news for England with Ollie Robinson in the wickets for Sussex, but Joe Root has yet to make it to the crease in Yorkshire's game against Essex at Chelmsford.

Join us for full coverage of day three in our seven games tomorrow.

Division One

Essex 403 v Yorkshire 81-3

Yorkshire trail by 322 with 7 wickets standing

Hampshire 342 & 28-4 v Gloucestershire 179

Hampshire lead by 191 with 6 wickets standing

Lancashire 127-0 v Warwickshire 315

Lancashire trail by 188 with 10 wickets standing

Surrey 401 v Northamptonshire 154-8

Northants trail by 247 with 2 wickets standing

Division Two

Glamorgan 305-5 v Leicestershire 320

Glamorgan trail by 15 with 5 wickets standing

Sussex 392 v Middlesex 284-6

Middlesex trail by 108 with 4 wickets standing

Worcestershire 169-6 v Durham 580-6 dec

Worcestershire trail by 411 with 4 wickets standing

The action is over for the day at the 1st Central County Ground, the umpires having led the teams off after Luke Hollman completed a 50 for Middlesex.

Sussex added 38 to their overnight 354-6 as Shaheen Afridi finished with 3-97 and then reduced the visitors to 45-4 in reply.

England's Ollie Robinson picked up three wickets but good batting by John Simpson (71) and Max Holden (55) stabilised the innings and Hollman and Martin Andersson have put on 71 for the seventh wicket.

Last over the day it may be, but that doesn't stop James Vince from unfurling his cover drive to good effect as Mohammad Amir over-pitches.

Two balls later, the Hampshire captain squirts another boundary down to third man as play ends on a positive note for the home side after the shock of losing four wickets - including two nightwatchmen to successive balls.

One of them was Mohammad Abbas, but he did his bit earlier in the day by taking 6-45 as Gloucestershire were bowled out in 68 overs.

They trail by 191 and cannot afford to let Vince and Nick Gubbins settle on the third morning.

Bad light ends play a couple of overs early at Sophia Gardens just after Glamorgan collected their third batting point.

Andy Gorvin's four through square leg off Callum Parkinson is the final scoring shot of the day and he will resume on 23 not out, one more than partner Chris Cooke.

A partnership of 188 between Kiran Carlson (91) and Sam Northeast (84) has given Glamorgan every chance of establishing some sort of first-innings lead but both will be frustrated to get out so close to three figures.

Chris Wright has taken 3-65 for the visitors.

Calm down. No hat-trick to see here.

James Vince negotiates the final delivery of Mohammad Amir's over and there are two more to come at the Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire are 178 ahead, but this clatter of wickets since they began their second innings will have caused a few jangling nerves.

for Luke Hollmanpublished at 18:19 British Summer Time 6 May 2022

18:19 BST 6 May 2022

Sussex 392 v Middlesex 284-6

Luke Hollman slashes Tom Clark away over point for four to reach a 64-ball fifty- the third of the innings by a Middlesex batter.

One ball later, though, and the umpires lead the teams off at Hove because of bad light.

Hollman has so far added 71 with Martin Andersson (41 not out) after Max Holden was bowled by spinner Mason Crane for 55.

Middlesex trail by 108.

Northants are doing their best to try and improve this pretty hopeless situation.

Luke Procter is there on 38 and Australian Matt Kelly is with him.

Four overs remain at The Oval.

Mohammad Amir has four slips in place as he tries to see off Hampshire nightwatchman Kyle Abbott, but is driven through the covers for four as he tries his luck from round the wicket.

Switching to over the wicket, he yields another boundary through mid-wicket from a thick inside edge.

There will be no resumption after bad light forced the players off a few minutes ago.

Only one man making the headlines in Worcester today - Ben Stokes, who smashed 17 sixes in his 161 off 88 balls.

Oh yes, and David Bedingham scored 135.

Worcestershire will start day three 411 behind with Joe Leach 13 not out and Ben Cox on six.

Well everyone thought that was it at Chelmsford.

But there was time for one more over.

And Sam Cook has struck with the first ball!

Dimuth Karunaratne drives at a fullish ball and gets a feather behind! Gone for 36.

So Essex, despite their collapse earlier, losing 7-100, end the day right on top.

Joe Root will be in first thing in the morning.

Hampshire have sent out Kyle Abbott as nightwatchman following the loss of Felix Organ and Ian Holland for ducks.

Nick Gubbins has just clipped Ryan Higgins away for four and there are seven overs to go. Hampshire lead by 168.

The light has closed in at Worcester and the home side have understandably sought sanctuary in the dressing room.

There was a single each for Joe Leach and Ben Cox in the last over, bowled by spinner Scott Borthwick and there are, in theory, 12 overs remaining in the second day's play.

Another Glamorgan wicket has gone at Cardiff with Sam Northeast lbw to Ben Mike for 84.

The former Kent and Hampshire batter played right across the line to a full-length delivery so he can have no complaints.

Chris Cooke has now been joined by Andy Gorvin, who is playing his first Championship game of the season.

Dan Wheeler
BBC Hereford & Worcester

After Ben Stokes batted like Superman, wicketkeeper Ned Eckersley has just flown like him - leaping high to his right to grab a top edge off Brett D’Oliveira one-handed.

Up to that point, Worcestershire had defied the Durham attack and the dimming light to repair the damage of 41-4.

Ed Barnard’s timing was mango-sweet in bringing up his 50 - but.moments later he left a Marty Potts ball alone and lost his off stump.

The hole deepens