Image source, Rex Features

Sometimes batters find themselves in a 'zone' and that was certainly true of Lancashire's Luke Wells on day three of our Championship games as he hit 124 off 86 balls in the Roses match.

Bowling honours went to Essex's Sam Cook, who has nine wickets in the match so far, with his side needing just two more to complete a win over Kent at Canterbury.

Only six games will go into the final day after Nottinghamshire increased their lead at the top of Division Two by beating Leicestershire despite a gallant fifty by number 11 Michael Finan.

Join us again tomorrow from 10:00.

Division One

Hampshire 400-9 dec v Northamptonshire 175 & 153-3

Northamptonshire trail by 72 with 7 wickets standing

Kent 164 & 137-8 v Essex 573

Kent trail by 272 with 2 wickets standing

Lancashire 276 & 203-3 v Yorkshire 255

Lancashire lead by 224 with 7 wickets standing

Somerset 248 v Gloucestershire 343 & 246-5

Gloucestershire lead by 341 with 5 wickets standing

Division Two

Derbyshire 306 & 185-7 v Durham 223

Derbyshire lead by 268 with 3 wickets standing

Glamorgan 241-8 v Worcestershire 454-9 dec

Glamorgan trail by 213 with 2 wickets standing

Nottinghamshire 201 & 390-7 dec v Leicestershire 93 & 257

Nottinghamshire won by 241 runs

The light has faded at the St Lawrence so that's all on day three.

No success for Essex in the additional overs so they will come back tomorrow morning to try and wrap up victory.

They resumed this morning with Kent already four down and found little trouble in rattling their hosts out for just 164.

Ben Allison picked up four of the wickets and the follow-on was an easy decision.

Second time around Kent sunk quickly again with Sam Cook taking the first five.

Jordan Cox has held them up with a stubborn unbeaten 53 but Kent will need significant help from the weather to have a chance of escaping from this.

Three overs into extra time and Jordan Cox and Matt Milnes have got through with little alarm.

Sam Cook and Shane Snater banging away with this old ball but no joy for 17 overs now.

It may need a night's rest for Essex to finish this off.

They’ve bowled the allocation at Canterbury but the light is still okay so the umpires have allowed the extra half hour.

Eight more overs for Essex to try and win tonight.

Matt Milnes has resisted for 42 balls alongside Jordan Cox.

for Jordan Coxpublished at 18:28 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

18:28 BST 7 September 2022

Kent 164 & 129-8 fo v Essex 573

A 99-ball half-century for Jordan Cox as he strikes his seventh four.

At least one man has provided some resistance in this second dig.

Another change in the attack as Dillon Pennington come on for the Pears. Three maidens in a row now.

James Harris works D'Oliveira to fine leg for a leg bye. Two runs to Cooke on the on side and a single comes from the next ball.

The final over of the day will be bowled by Pennington, who dismissed Northeast and Carlson in successive balls earlier today.

Three overs to go at Canterbury and Jordan Cox, on 46, continues to hold up Essex.

The extra eight should be available if the light is good enough.

That indeed is the end of the third day in West End.

Hampshire took 9-95 this morning to force Northants to follow-on.

And again they’ve slipped after a great start - 98 the openers added in the second innings.

Hampshire superbly placed to wrap up victory tomorrow to keep their title push moving forward.

There's a hint of uneven bounce for Joe Leach as Chris Cooke plays and misses outside off. Maiden over.

At the other end, Brett D'Oliveira comes on - and that's two maidens in a row.

A couple of big blows for Hampshire with Emilio Gay trapped lbw by James Fuller after a very fluent 74.

And Luke Procter edging Keith Barker behind for 19 - someone who can bat a very long time.

But now bad light takes the players off - possibly for the day.

In theory we have five overs left before stumps tonight, though there was a brief pause while the umpires took a light reading.

James Harris edges Ed Barnard wide of slips for four. Still 69 needed to avoid a possible follow-on.

Image source, Rex Features

Michael Finan is unlikely to be batting at number 11 in his next game for Leicestershire on the evidence of this innings.

Dane Paterson strays onto his pads and Finan unerringly clips it away for four runs to move on to 58 not out.

It is his final scoring shot, though, as Paterson finds the edge and Matthew Montgomery takes a good catch at second slip, ending a stand of 83 with Callum Parkinson.

Paterson finishes with 3-92 as Notts complete their seventh win of the season, collect 20 points and take a big step towards top-division Championship cricket next summer.

Do Gloucestershire have enough time to force a win in this match?

If tomorrow's forecast is correct - probably not.

Disciplined batting - but the acceleration stalled somewhat after the dismissal of Ollie Price for 53.

Solid 50s from Charlesworth and Hammond nonetheless.

Tireless and disciplined bowling from spinner Sajid Khan in particular.

What a shift! His figures are 34-9-69-2.

The waiting goes on for Notts.

Brett Hutton bowls the first over following a lengthy weather hold-up and there is a single each for Michael Finan and Callum Parkinson.

A lucky escape for Jack Taylor, who edges just wide of Gregory for a streaky four.

Fortunately for him, there is no second slip. A single off the last ball of the over.

Two runs come from Sajid Khan's 34th over - and that's stumps.

The light has improved a little and re-start is imminent.

Nine overs to follow after Ed Barnard finishes his incomplete one.