Image source, Rex Features

One batter stands head and shoulders above the rest on day two of our latest Championship games - Sir Alastair Cook.

He made 145 to help put Essex on the path towards victory at Chelmsford, aided by yet another five-for from Simon Harmer.

Hampshire's Ian Holland was dismissed for 99 against Warwickshire, and Lancashire opener Luke Wells will sleep on that number tonight.

Let's see if he can reach three figures tomorrow. Join us from 10:30.

Division One

Essex 310 v Gloucestershire 136 & 140-6

Gloucestershire trail by 34 with 4 wickets standing

Hampshire 370-9 dec v Warwickshire 217 & 11-0

Warwickshire trail by 142 with 10 wickets standing

Kent 287-5 v Northamptonshire 303

Kent trail by 16 with 5 wickets standing

Lancashire 164-0 v Somerset 446

Lancashire trail by 282 with 10 wickets standing

Yorkshire 521 v Surrey 191-1

Surrey trail by 330 with 9 wickets standing

Division Two

Durham 296 v Derbyshire 283 & 19-2

Derbyshire lead by six runs with 8 wickets standing

Glamorgan 318 & 53-0 v Nottinghamshire 285

Glamorgan lead by 86 with 10 wickets standing

Middlesex 188 & 180-6 v Worcestershire 191

Middlesex lead by 177 with 3 wickets standing

Sussex 588 v Leicestershire 159-1

Leicestershire trail by 429 with 9 wickets standing

The day began 40 minutes late because of rain, but Surrey end it with only one wicket down at Scarborough.

Dom Bess had Ryan Patel stumped for 29, but Rory Burns only needs six to complete a hundred and Hashim Amla is 45 not out - the pair having so far added 89 for the second wicket.

Adam Lyth was finally out for 183 earlier in the day, but Jonny Tattersall went on to make 180 for Yorkshire before running out of partners.

Glamorgan beat Notts at Trent Bridge earlier in the season and they have a great chance to set up another winning position.

Notts were 233-3 but suffered an alarming collapse as Michael Hogan and James Harris shared eight wickets.

Eddie Byrom, 28, and David Lloyd, 21, have got through to the close intact and the home side will now have dreams of batting Notts out of the game.

Matthew Waite bowls a maiden to Rory Burns and there are three more overs to come in Scarborough.

Burns is 91 not out and looks like he is prepared to wait till tomorrow for a century, with Hashim Amla on 39.

Durham finish the day on a high as Chris Rushworth removes Billy Godleman and nightwatchman Sam Conners, both caught behind by Tom Mackintosh.

The debutant keeper earlier made 51 off 100 balls as Durham recovered from 142-7 to earn a small first-innings lead.

Rushworth, who now has nine wickets in the game, scored 33 off 27 in a last-wicket stand of 51 with 18-year-old Stanley McAlindon, who is also playing his first Championship game.

Alex Davies and Dom Sibley survived a six-over mini-session to the close at the Ageas Bowl following a positive declaration by Hampshire.

The home side called a halt with a lead of 153 following good batting by Ian Holland, Liam Dawson (92) and Ben Brown (72 not out).

The luckless Holland was caught off Danny Briggs for 99 - as he tried to complete his first Championship hundred for 15 months.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby took 5-86 for Warwickshire, who will start day three142 in arrears.

A spot of drizzle and dodgy light has ended play six overs early at Marchant Taylor's School.

It remains a very even game.

Earlier today Worcestershire could only sneak a lead of three.

It's then been nip-tuck in the third innings after Middlesex were 52-0.

The top score is only 37 and Worcestershire will be hoping conditions are easing for their run chase on day three.

Image source, Rex Features

A great effort by Louis Kimber and Rishi Patel sees Leicestershire through to stumps for the loss of Hassan Azad, who fell to the first ball of their innings.

Kimber has 91, with three sixes and nine fours, and a boundary to third man of Steve Finn in the day's final over takes Patel to 67.

Oli Carter (75), Delray Rawlins (75) and James Coles (59) were the main contributors earlier in the day as Sussex pushed on well beyond 500 - while Callum Parkinson took 5-128 for the visitors.

It's been attritional stuff of late at Scarborough but Hashim Amla breaks the shackles with a boundary at the start of the latest George Hill over.

He is 33 not out and Rory Burns has 89.

Image source, Rex Features

A fine response from Luke Well and Keaton Jennings.

Jennings was 99 with two overs to go but played out a maiden from Lewis Gregory!

Jennings couldn't get him back on strike and Wells' second century of the summer will have to wait until the morning.

Jennings walks off 61 not out.

Earlier in the day Lewis Goldsworthy took his maiden century to 130 before Somerset moved from 365-8 to 446 - their third score over 400 this summer.

On those two previous occasions, they won by an innings but the going is much tougher here on the Lancashire coast.

Two boundaries in the day's final over from Matt Critchley and Ollie Price ends with 42 not from 33 balls for Gloucestershire.

They did well to dismiss Essex for 310 earlier in the day after Alastair Cook made 145 and Tom Westley 90 - with spinner Zafar Gohar claiming 5-84.

But that was a warning of what was to come as Simon Harmer (5-51) tore through their top order and the visitors need another 34 on day three to avoid an innings defeat.

A bold move by Hampshire, who call a halt to their first innings in order to have a few overs at Warwickshire before the close.

Ben Brown finishes with 72 not out from 113 balls and the lead is 153.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby took 5-86 from 31 overs for the Bears.

Not bang on 6pm but good enough this close time.

The end of a closely-fought day but one that Kent have come out on top of.

The hosts slipped to 136-4 before Jack Leaning, with 63, shared a century stand with Jordan Cox - who takes the close 63 not out.

Captain Sam Billings there too on 24.

Only one wicket for Northants with the second new ball and Kent are now very well placed to take a good lead tomorrow.

The visitors will surely be cursing their failure to build on being 205-2 tomorrow.

Essex have spin from both ends in an effort to push this game closer to a conclusion. In theory, there are only six over of play remaining.

Ollie Price is 14 not out for Gloucestershire and Graeme van Buuren has 11.

Durham have finally been bowled out for 296 after Chris Rushworth (33) and Stanley McAlindon (26no) put on 51 for the last wicket against Derbyshire.

Glamorgan are 11-0 in the fourth over of their second innings after Michael Hogan and James Harris took four wickets each in dismissing Notts for 285.

Middlesex have lost two wickets in successive overs and are 166-6 against Worcestershire, a lead of 163.

Louis Kimber (73no) and Rishi Patel (58no) have guided Leicestershire to 132-1, replying to Sussex's 588-9.

Image source, Rex Features

James Fuller falls for the trap as he pulls short ball from OHD to Dan Mousley at square leg and is gone for 37 after a stand of 70 in 12 overs with Ben Brown.

It's a well-deserved five-for for the Warwickshire seamer and with only Mohammad Abbas to come, this innings is nearing its end.

Postpublished at 17:52 British Summer Time 12 July 2022

17:52 BST 12 July 2022

Yorkshire 521 v Surrey 150-1

Hashim Amla brings up Surrey's 150 in style by hoisting Dom Bess over mid-on for six.

The South African is 20 not out and Rory Burns has 78.

Two in the over and it's yet another five-for for Simon Harmer - and his 10th wicket of the match.

Chris Dent pushes forward defensively but the ball comes on with the arm and the umpire says it is hitting.

Can Gloucestershire survive to stumps?