Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

Image source, Adrian Harms - BBC Radio Sussex

An early tea at Hove after persistent drizzle forced the players from the field.

Worcester are in a commanding position thanks to an opening partnership of 195 between Jake Libby and Ed Pollock, who fell agonisingly two runs short of his century. The visitors then lost Azhar Ali for 16, the second wicket to fall to Jack Carson, but lead by 48.

Jake Libby has completed his second century of the season, an innings full of good shots. And Worcester are on course for maximum bonus points as they continue their quest for a late charge towards the promotion places.

A combination of Shane Snater's hitting and the sun making batting easy is turning this game firmly in Essex's favour.

Ben Allison drives Jack Shutt through the covers to bring up the 200 and get Essex's first batting point.

Northants have done an excellent job this afternoon, claiming those three wickets and giving up 68 runs in the 26 overs so far.

Leaders Hampshire will be interested observers of how they are keeping Surrey in check.

for Dan Lawrencepublished at 15:07 British Summer Time 13 September 2022

15:07 BST 13 September 2022

Yorkshire 134 v Essex 186-7

The first half century of the game at Headingley.

A lovely back foot cut from Dan Lawrence pierces the field and runs to the boundary to bring up his 50.

It has been hard work, coming off 118 balls and taking 10 minutes shy of three hours.

A first 50 in the Championship this summer, although he did make 120 at Old Trafford in May against Lancashire.

Shane Snater is playing a super cameo here for Essex.

He clubs Matt Revis for four and he moves up to 43 off 38 balls with six fours and a six.

This partnership is worth 67 and Snater has overtaken Dan Lawrence, who has 42.

Hashim Amla has 28 off 72 balls so he is certainly in no hurry.

But together he and Jamie Smith have put on 34 and are starting to blunt some of the Northants attack.

Half-century stand for Hain & Rhodespublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 13 September 2022

14:45 BST 13 September 2022

Somerset 219, Warwickshire 80-3

Decent recovery starting to take shape here for Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Sam Hain is now on 33, within 13 runs of his 1,000 for the season, and Bears skipper Will Rhodes has moved on to 30.

Togerther they have now amassed 58 for the fourth wicket.

On-off day in the southpublished at 14:40 British Summer Time 13 September 2022

14:40 BST 13 September 2022

They're back on again at Lord's - but off again at Hove.

Worcestershire are temporarily halted on 268-2, already with a lead of 48 over Sussex, while Middlesex now trail Glamorgan by only 23 on 191-4 after resuming with a Mark Stoneman boundary, which took him to his century.

Meanwhile, at Leicester, the Durham openers Michael Jones (37) and Sean Dickson (14) have already reached a half-century stand on 57-0 in the 16th over, against Leicestershire.

Essex are now in the lead after a crazy over from Jordan Thompson.

Shane Snater gets a single off the first ball, Dan Lawrence squirts the second for four and then scampers one.

Snater pulls the fourth ball for six, he cracks the next ball through the covers for four and gets four leg byes off the last one.

20 off the over and from a deficit of 11 to a lead of six.

A quick look at Surrey's batting averages for 2022 in the Championship shows Hashim Amla now in 12th place, averaging just under 38 with only 531 runs to his name.

But remember this is a man with over 9000 Test runs and he is capable of huge stays at the crease.

His team would welcome one of those now.

Image source, Getty Images

A lot of emphasis now on Dan Lawrence to pull Essex towards a decent score and he hits a lovely shot out to the midwicket fence.

Lawrence up to 37 and his team trail by 12.

Better news at Lord'spublished at 14:12 British Summer Time 13 September 2022

14:12 BST 13 September 2022

Glamorgan 214, Middlesex 184-4

After a two-hour break, prospects are apparently better now at Lord's.

They are now due to make a restart at 2.20, when fourth-placed Middlesex will resume on 184-4 - 30 behind second-placed Glamorgan.

After a joyless morning, the visitors need a breakthrough.

Jamie Smith is the new batter for Surrey, but he is another player short of time in the middle.

The wicketkeeper's last bat was on 14 July in the Championship game with Yorkshire at Scarborough.

He then spent August on the bench for the London Spirit in The Hundred, not playing a single match.

Bears get their 50 uppublished at 14:02 British Summer Time 13 September 2022

14:02 BST 13 September 2022

Somerset 219, Warwickshire 50-3

Warwickshire are on the mend against Somerset at Edgbaston.

The 50 comes up - in the 25th over.

It's slow progress. And nowhere near as entertaining as the chat up in the commentary box, where BBC WM's Phil Britt, the Edgbaston Museum curator, has just come out with one of the lines of the season.

In a conversation on why cricketers have their name on the back of their shirts - and yet not on their otherwise blank cricket sweaters, Phil was understandably baffled.

Having been told it was down to technical production difficulties, he indignantly replied: "If you can put a man on the moon, surely you can find a way of putting a name on the back of a cable-knit jumper."

Watch this space . . .