A full toss by Matt Parkinson is swept away for four by Fin Bean. Poor ball, but a loose one is perhaps not a surprise in the spinner's first over.

Good news from Southampton, where the covers are off and play is due to get under way at 1.30.

If the weather holds for the rest of the day, Hampshire will feel they still have time to force victory against Northamptonshire and keep up their title challenge.

They are back out in the middle at Old Trafford.

Matt Parkinson to have his first bowl of the innings. Fin Bean on strike.

Image source, Rex Features

Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon has praised the performance of Michael Finan after he made 58 off 46 balls batting at number 11 in their three-day defeat by Leicestershire yesterday.

Finan was making his first-class debut and hit a six and 11 fours, despite being struck on the helmet, in a stand of 83 with Callum Parkinson.

“He’s come out of club cricket straight into first-class cricket and though he struggled with his footing at times he bowled with pace and bowled some exciting balls," said Nixon.

"Then he showed a bit of defiance with the bat, but you shouldn’t be relying on the lower orders to get you runs."

Jamie Porter finishes things off for Essex with the final wicket - Jordan Cox caught in the slips after a spot of juggling by Matt Critchley!

Applause for Cox, who did so much to delay Essex with his spirited knock of 65, but to no avail.

Porter finishes with 3-50, while Sam Cook takes 7-33 to lead Essex to a resounding victory - the fifth best innings win in their history.

Kent still very much in the thick of the battle to avoid relegation after this defeat.

Still raining at Tauntonpublished at 12:55 British Summer Time 8 September 2022

12:55 BST 8 September 2022

Somerset 11-0 (target 375 v Gloucs)

Have we seen all the action that we are going to see at Taunton? Starting to look very much like it.

There's the breakthrough for Essex - and it's Sam Cook, with his seventh of the innings and 10 in the match!

Matt Milnes tries to fend off a short delivery and can only swipe it through for Nick Browne to take the catch.

Former Essex man Matt Quinn is out there now and it's up to him and Jordan Cox to save Kent now.

The latest from the Ageas Bowl is that the umpires will make a further inspection at 13:00.

This must be really frustrating for Hampshire.

Victory puts them top of Division One. If they draw, they will be level on points with Surrey, but will have played a game more.

It has been somewhat overlooked that Essex's Jamie Porter reached 400 first-class wickets during this match - and he's still only 29.

He's one of those county players - like the recently retired James Hildreth of Somerset - who have been really unlucky not to have been given even one chance in international cricket.

He sends down a tidy maiden to Jordan Cox.

We have play at Canterbury.

Sam Cook opens up to Kent's Matt Milnes. Two wickets needed by Essex for their fifth Championship win of the season.

It's a maiden.

Division One

Hampshire 400-9 dec v Northamptonshire 175 & 153-3 - no play before lunch

Kent 164 & 137-8 v Essex 573 - no play before lunch

Lancashire 276 & 280-5 dec v Yorkshire 255 & 30-2

Somerset 248 & 11-0 v Gloucestershire 343 & 279-7 dec

Division Two

Derbyshire 306 & 214-9 dec v Durham 223 & 61-2

Glamorgan 295 & 5-0 v Worcestershire 454-9 dec

Spinner Mark Watt sends down a maiden to complete the morning session and Durham get through to lunch at 61-2, with Sean Dickson 16 not out and Nic Maddinson on one.

Wickets for Ben Aitchison and Sam Conners so far, with Derbyshire needing eight more for victory. Durham need another 237, with 67 overs available.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore picks up a couple off Tom Hartley and plays out the rest of the over as Yorkshire avoid further damage before lunch.

Lancashire added 77 in 10 overs to their overnight 203-3 before declaring and have so far picked up the wickets of Adam Lyth and George Hill.

Yorkshire need another 272 from 65 overs to win the game, but there's been so sign of a chase mind-set so far.

Fin Bean is 13 not out and Kohler-Cadmore has two.

Nick Webb
BBC Radio Wales

Worcestershire have been held up by the rain in Cardiff as they look to keep in the promotion race, with only 55 minutes possible in the first session.

The Pears claimed the last two Glamorgan first innings wickets to enforce the follow-on, with Dillon Pennington and Ben Gibbon picking up a fourth apiece as Gibbon claimed a career-best 4-87.

Glamorgan almost got the 64 extra runs they needed thanks to Chris Cooke’s unbeaten 51, but the decision to take all runs on offer rather than protect the tail did not quite pay off as Ajaz Patel went for 10 and Michael Hogan for 12, including a six.

A heavy shower drove the players off just nine balls into the Glamorgan second innings, and with rain falling at the scheduled lunch interval of 12:30, Worcestershire faced the prospect of kicking their heels into the afternoon.

By contrast Glamorgan would be quite happy to bag 12 points to take them into second place in Division Two, seven ahead of Middlesex, after being largely outplayed.

What must Fin Bean be thinking? Just 20 years old, in his debut first-class appearance, and a Roses match at that.

He has 11 from 48 balls faced, but drives the next from Tom Bailey into the covers and scampers through for two runs.

Bean gets right behind the last one of the over - looks like there'll be one more before the interval.

Good news for Essex, potentially!

As long as the rain holds off between now and 12.40pm, play will begin then - with 64 overs remaining.

Essex need two wickets to complete victory over Kent.

Lunch is being taken at the Cooper Associates County Ground where only 7.5 overs have been bowled this morning because of rain.

Gloucestershire declared on 279-7 after adding 33 to their overnight total and Somerset have avoided any loss in 3.5 overs faced so far.

Tom Lammonby is six not out and Imam ul-Haq has five

Time for spin - but it's not Matt Parkinson, it's left-armer Tom Hartley.

He goes past the outside edge and an appeal for leg-before follows the next delivery, but George Hill is not out.

Very good maiden to start by Hartley.