Image source, Rex Features

We had an incredible finish at Chelmsford today as George Balderson took a hat-trick and five wickets in total as Lancashire bowled out Essex for 59 to win by 38 runs.

But now the focus is firmly on the title race and it's looking increasingly likely that Surrey could become champions with a round to spare.

Second-placed Hampshire need something special with the bat to beat Kent - is James Vince the man to provide it? - and the Division One leaders are in a strong position to win at home to Yorkshire.

Elsewhere, David Lloyd hit a magnificent unbeaten 313 for Glamorgan in Division Two and leaders Notts had to follow-on at New Road.

Join us tomorrow for the third day's play.

Division One

Essex 107 & 59 v Lancashire 131 & 73

Lancashire won by 38 runs

Gloucestershire 255 v Warwickshire 274 & 58-5

Warwickshire lead by 77 with 5 wickets standing

Hampshire 57 & 105-4 v Kent 165 & 269

Hants need another 273 to win with 6 wickets standing

Somerset 389 v Northamptonshire 184-6

Northants trail by 205 with 4 wickets standing

Surrey 333 v Yorkshire 179 & 89-2 (f/o)

Yorkshire trail by 65 with 8 wickets standing

Division Two

Durham 459-7 dec v Sussex 162 & 6-3

Sussex trail by 291 with 7 wickets standing

Glamorgan 550-5 dec v Derbyshire 135-5

Derbyshire trail by 415 with 5 wickets standing

Leicestershire 273-9 v Middlesex 297

Leicestershire trail by 24 with 1 wicket standing

Worcestershire 390 v Nottinghamshire 128 & 129-6 (f/o)

Notts trail by 133 with 4 wickets standing

Joe Weatherley leaves the final ball of Nathan Gilchrist's over, and promptly spins on his heels and heads for the dressing room.

He's been excellent, but Hampshire still trail by 272 and have a mountain to climb if they want to keep the title race alive.

for Joe Weatherleypublished at 18:21 British Summer Time 21 September 2022

18:21 BST 21 September 2022

Hampshire 57 & 105-4 v Kent 165 & 269

A gorgeous shot from Joe Weatherley to take him past 50. He shows the full face of the bat, and the ball flies back past Nathan Gilchrist to the fence.

With dark clouds gathering, the umpires take the players off and that is it for day two at the Micky Stewart Oval.

Yorkshire need another 65 to avoid an innings defeat and Surrey have every incentive to go hard at them on the third morning.

If they win and Hampshire lose to Kent, they will be the 2022 champions.

The Cameron Steel experiment lasted just two overs.

Dan Worrall and Jamie Overton now operating in tandem and the Australian beats Adam Lyth with a beauty in his latest over.

Lyth then takes a single and three slips are in place for new batter Tom Kohler-Cadmore, but he ends the over by picking up a couple.

Leicestershire's tenth wicket pair of Ed Barnes and Chris Wright navigate their way to the close, and will get the chance to reduce the deficit further in the morning.

It is impressive that they have made as many as they have. When Rehan Ahmed fell in the 23rd over, the hosts were 66-5 and in all kinds of trouble.

However, a crucial partnership of 125 between Harry Swindells and Tom Scriven blunted the Middlesex momentum and his given Leicestershire a fighting chance.

Great day for the Pears. A century for Roderick, a career best 45 for Josh Tongue and four wickets each for Barnard and Pennington on first innings.

Notts follow on at New Road for a second year running.

Patterson-White edges the third ball of today's final over just short of the slips and then runs three off the fourth.

Tom Moores blocks and Notts have made it to day three, thanks in the main to Hameed's 58. They remain 133 adrift, though.

Joe Weatherley somehow deals with an absolute snorter from Matt Quinn. It rears at him off a length, but he gets his hand high, and guides it down into the ground.

Weatherley has 47 now, as we enter the last three overs of the day.

Barring a weather intervention, it's now looks like a case of when and not if Durham secure their third win of the season.

The umpires do not waste time calling play off the day after taking the teams off for the day.

Michael Jones and Nic Maddinson both reached the 190s in Durham's first innings without being able to convert, and Chris Benjamin was 82 not out when the declaration came.

Left arm seamer Ben Gibbon will bowl the penultimate over of the day.

Patterson-White takes a single off the fifth ball and Moores sees out the over. One more left.

Just the 19 wickets today. Three from the Pears, all ten of the Notts first innings - and six more following on.

Moores leaves Tongue outside off stump and goes back to defend a short ball back down the track.

An edge drops just short of Azhar Ali at fourth slip. Two overs left.

With the lynch pin of Notts resistance now back in the pavilion you have to wonder if this game will end tonight.

Three left tonight as Moores plays and misses Gibbon outside off stump.

Keith Barker is looking resolute in defence here.

Just needs to get through to the close.