A fourth batting point for Essex at Chelmsford, but almost a wicket.

Doug Bracewell edges Chris Rushworth between wicketkeeper and first slip for a fortuitous boundary.

Will they go gung-ho for a fifth? If they do they have nine-and-a-half overs to get to 450.

up for Nottinghamshirepublished at 11:12 British Summer Time 26 June 2023

11:12 BST 26 June 2023

Somerset 163 v Nottinghamshire 150-4

Matt Henry is straight into the Somerset attack this morning after impressing on day one.

The New Zealander causes Ben Slater an awkward moment in his first over as a short ball strikes the opener's visor, but after a small delay Slater is fine to continue.

And in the next over, Steven Mullaney takes two off Craig Overton to bring up the Notts 150.

Pattern of play is Liam Dawson scores off the first ball of the over before Nick Gubbins sees out five dots to finish it.

Dawson moved to 119 with an inside out shot off Tom Helm which squirted past point to the ropes for four but it's another couple of dots for Gubbins at the end of the over. 98 from 274 balls.

for Daniel Bell-Drummondpublished at 11:08 British Summer Time 26 June 2023

11:08 BST 26 June 2023

Northants 237 v Kent 114-1

It took precisely one ball for Daniel Bell-Drummond to drive Jack White inches past the stumps at the other end of the pitch for a delicious straight four to bring up his half-century.

T20 century on Friday, half-century in the Championship this morning. His 36th in First Class cricket. Some player.

Chris Rushworth gets things going for Warwickshire as the Bears look to quickly mop up the Essex tail this morning.

Dan Lawrence put the hosts in a commanding position on day one with a superb 152, but it will be his last action in this match.

He has rejoined the England squad ahead of the second Ashes Test at Lord's and been replaced in the Essex XI by Nick Browne.

A tight opening over costs just the single.

Liam Dawson nudges a single off Tom Helm's first ball to move onto 112 but Nick Gubbins, on 98 not out, defends the rest of the opening over of the morning.

267 balls so far for Gubbins.

Different conditions at The Kennington Oval this morning as Surrey resume, with new batsman Will Jacks at the crease.

Jack Blatherwick continues with the five remaining deliveries from the over that ended when he removed Ben Foakes.

Tom Bailey warming up to bowl at Jamie Smith at the other end.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

The attacking cricket Durham head coach Ryan Campbell wants his side to play seems to have paid off once more.

Durham resume their first innings this morning on 422-4, having been the highest scorers in the County Championship - yet again - on day one. It ha' been a regular feature of the season for the Division Two leaders.

There are 14 overs left to gain the last of the five batting points and they need 28 runs to get there. Ollie Robinson will resume on 113 and Graham Clark 85. Their stand of 201 is already Durham's highest fifth wicket partnership against The Foxes.

It's a lovely day in Leicester. It's about 20C and there is a nice breeze. It's a lot more comfortable than yesterday, where the bowlers struggled in the heat with the Kookaburra ball.

Andrew Radd
BBC Radio Northampton

Image source, Getty Images

Northamptonshire's Rob Keogh believes the Kookaburra ball - being used in this and the next round of County Championship matches - is more likely to reverse-swing than the normal Dukes ball, especially in the hands of a skilled Australian pace bowler like Kent's Wes Agar.

Agar claimed 5-63 on the opening day between Northamptonshire and Kent at Wantage Road - and his victims included Keogh, trapped leg-before wicket just three runs short of a century.

"We're all new to this ball - but Wes obviously isn't," Keogh told BBC Radio Northampton. "He bowled well, and we just have to hope that one of our bowlers can find some reverse swing and come to the party as well.

"I haven't played in many matches where the Dukes ball has reversed. Maybe up at Old Trafford when it's very dry, or here at Northampton at the end of the season. But even then it usually only happens with an old ball, just before the next new one is due. The Kookaburra seemed to go after 40 or 50 overs."

Image source, Rex Features

Runaway leaders Durham show no sign of letting up as they began the second half of the season with a dominant display away to third-placed Leicestershire.

They racked up 422-4 thanks to centuries from Alex Lees (101) and Ollie Robinson (113 not out), who will resume a 201-run partnership with Graham Clark (85 not out) this morning.

Sussex are looking well poised to pounce on any Leicestershire slip and build a cushion in second place while hanging onto the leaders' coat tails.

They bowled out Glamorgan for 242 in Cardiff thanks to four wickets from Australian paceman Nathan McAndrew and resume their reply 177 behind on 65-1.

Worcestershire, in fourth, had designs on strengthening their push for the top two at home to bottom side Derbyshire but it was not plain sailing.

All-rounder Anuj Dal took 5-45 as the Pears collapsed from 105-1 to 237 all out despite Jake Libby's 78.

Resurgent Yorkshire piled on the runs as they closed on 393-6 against Gloucestershire at Headingley.

Looking for back-to-back wins, it was their young guns who got them out of an early spot of bother as 21-year-old Fin Bean made 114 and George Hill, one year his senior, hit 101, allied to Jonathan Tattersall's 79.

Image source, Rex Features

Champions and leaders Surrey are up against it at home to Lancashire, despite bowling the visitors out for 274 on day one. They begin day two on 70-4 after losing Ben Foakes to the final ball last night.

Dan Lawrence (152) and Tom Westley (114) put on 227 for the third wicket as Essex amassed 391-7 against Warwickshire on the opening day at Chelmsford.

Hampshire's Nick Gubbins resumes two short of a century while Liam Dawson is unbeaten on 111 after an astonishing unbroken 190-run stand for the fifth wicket at home to Middlesex, who were doing just fine with the hosts on 94-4.

Brett Hutton took 5-34 as Notts skittled hosts Somerset for 163 and Ben Slater's unbeaten 67 has already taken the visitors within 18 runs for the loss of four wickets in reply.

In the basement battle, Australian paceman Wes Agar claimed five wickets as Kent dismissed Northants for 237 before cruising to 110-1 at the close with Tawanda Muyeye unbeaten on 58.

Not so warm today, it would seem.

The general BBC Weather forecast says: "Showers for northern and north-eastern areas this afternoon, drier elsewhere. Cooler and breezy."

Less ice lollies needed to get through the day then?

Probably no bad thing in the long run!

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex 391-7 (96 overs) v Warwickshire

Southampton: Hampshire 284-4 (96 overs) v Middlesex

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 237, Kent 110-1 (31 overs)

Taunton: Somerset 163, Nottinghamshire 145-4 (45 overs)

The Oval: Lancashire 274, Surrey 70-4 (19.1 overs)

Division Two

Cardiff: Glamorgan 242, Sussex 65-1 (22 overs)

Leicester: Durham 422-4 (96 overs) v Leicestershire

New Road: Worcestershire 237, Derbyshire 32-2 (10 overs)

Leeds: Yorkshire 393-6 (96 overs) v Gloucestershire

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome back to day two of this latest round of County Championship fixtures.

It's the round they‘re calling Kookaburra Week, due to the experimental arrival of the Kookaburra ball from Australia.

The Kookaburra accounted for 83 wickets in nine fixtures on day one, which started rather imaginatively at The Oval when BBC Radio London and BBC Radio Lancashire began their coverage by playing on air the plaintive call of a Kookaburra.

So what better way to start day two than with a nice picture of a pair of them,