Image source, Getty Images

It's always enjoyable to see a young player announce himself with a big innings and James Coles did exactly that on day two of the current round of County Championship games.

Spectators at Hove did not see a century from Steve Smith, but 19-year-old Coles hit 138 as Sussex earned a big lead over Glamorgan.

Matthew Montgomery made an unbeaten 130 - the second ton of his first-class career to steer Notts into the lead against Essex and there were five-fors for Matthew Henry, Ajaz Patel and Joe Leach.

We'll be back with you tomorrow for the third day's play. See you then.

Division One

Hampshire 367 v Northamptonshire 56 & 50-2 (f/o)

Northants trail by 261 with eight wickets standing

Middlesex 175 & 81-1 (f/o) v Somerset 404

Middlesex trail by 148 with nine wickets standing

Nottinghamshire 326-5 v Essex 298

Notts lead by 28 with five wickets standing

Surrey 362 v Kent 278 & 80-4

Kent trail by four runs with six wickets standing

Division Two

Gloucestershire 255-9 v Durham 445

Gloucestershire trail by 190 with one wicket standing

Sussex 481 v Glamorgan 123 & 118-1

Glamorgan trail by 240 with nine wickets standing

Worcestershire 83 & 26-2 v Leicestershire 173 & 180

Worcestershire need another 245 to win with eight wickets standing

Well, this was a crazy day of County Championship cricket, with just 142 runs scored and 16 wickets falling.

Northants did well to polish off the Hampshire first innings in the opening hour but records tumbled as the visitors were then skittled for 56, with Keith Barker taking 4-13 off 12 overs.

Their meagre total 'beat' Hampshire's 57 against Kent last season for the lowest ever at the Ageas and was also four fewer than the 115-year-old club record for Northants' lowest total in Southampton.

They will resume on Saturday morning with eight wickets in hand but still with a deficit of 261 to overcome.

up for Northantspublished at 18:57 British Summer Time 19 May 2023

18:57 BST 19 May 2023

Hampshire 367 v Northamptonshire 56 & 50-2

Building blocks. Rob Keogh glances one off his hips off Ian Holland to bring up the 50 and move to eight. Sam Whiteman has 25 at the other end.

Into the final four overs of the evening, and typically on a day shortened by the weather, the Ageas Bowl is bathed in glorious sunshine.

Sam Whiteman moved onto 17 courtesy of his third four, with Rob Keogh on three from 14 balls at the other end.

Can the visitors reach day three with eight wickets in hand?

Josh Shaw earns Gloucestershire a batting point with a six to end Ajaz Patel's last over of the day.

The spinner has done his job for Durham, though with figures of 5-93 in his second game for the county.

Shaw ends play with an airy drive for four off Paul Coughlin to reach 17 not out but the home side will start day three still 190 behind.

Image source, Rex Features

Matt Henry's figures of 5-45 forced Middlesex to follow on at Lord's after they were dismissed for just 175.

It was a good day for the New Zealand paceman, who struck 40 in the morning to help Somerset post a strong first-innings total of 404.

The home side have done better second time around, reaching 81 for the loss of Sam Robson - but they are still 148 in arrears and face a battle to save the game.

Glamorgan will be satisfied with their progress in that final session, although they still have plenty to do against Sussex.

Trailing by 358 on the first innings, they have shaved off almost a third of that deficit after an opening stand of 91 between Eddie Byrom and Zain ul-Hassan.

Byrom's was the only wicket to fall for 57, while Marnus Labuschagne (15 not out) has looked solid alongside debutant Ul-Hassan, unbeaten on 40 at the close.

But the day belonged to 19-year-old James Coles, who registered his maiden first-class century with 138 in Sussex's first-innings total of 481.

An incredibly similar pattern of play to yesterday, and, just like yesterday night, Surrey will feel far the happier at stumps.

Although they were reduced to 180-6, Surrey's final four wickets managed to add 182, with Sean Abbott and Gus Atkinson registering eye-catching half-centuries.

The first innings lead of 84 was whittled down by some fine strokes from Tawanda Muyeye (42) but a flurry of wickets in the gloaming has left Kent up against it, still four adrift with only six second innings wickets in hand.

Gloucestershire pick up a couple of singles from Paul Coughlin's latest over. There are two more to come, so no chance of Durham enforcing the follow-on this evening, should they wish to do so.

Josh Shaw clips the first ball of Ajaz Patel's last of the day through mid-wicket for four.

Zaman Akhter plays forward defensively to his first ball and edges to second slip. That's a five-for Ajaz Patel and he's on a hat-trick - but number 11 Ajeet Singh Dale keeps him out.

Bad light is followed by rain at New Road, so that is all for day two.

Another 10 wickets fell - making it 32 in the match and Worcestershire need another 245 to snatch the unlikeliest of victories.

Joe Leach took 5-41 as Leicestershire collapsed from 160-5 to 180 all out in their second innings and Matthew Waite claimed three wickets in an over in his 4-21.

Jack Haynes and Gareth Roderick are the not out batters after the Pears were 2-2 when both openers departed in the space of three balls.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Dutchman Bas De Leede has his first wicket of the afternoon, having been introduced into the action with 11 overs of the day to go.

He added David Bedingham to his slip cordon and Ben Charlesworth then clipped the ball to the fielder when on 71. A colleague had just commented he felt the game was drifting at that point.

But Durham have taken four wickets since a late tea. Jack Taylor was out for 16, bowled by Kiwi spinner Ajaz Patel, while James Bracey was caught in the slips by Bedingham, off Matthew Potts for 14.

Matt Taylor has also just gone for a duck.

While we were wrapping things up at Trent Bridge, Gloucestershire lost another wicket against Durham, with Matt Taylor miscuing spinner Ajaz Patel to mid-on. Patel now has 3-76 and there are six overs remaining.

Zak Crawley survives a big lbw appeal from Tom Lawes, which looked like it was drifting down leg, and gathers himself to clip Sean Abbott off his pads for a lovely four through midwicket early in the following over.

The deficit is six with three overs remaining in the day.