Image source, Getty Images

Well that was a bit of a bonus.

Another gripping day of Championship cricket - in some places, at least.

Three top-flight games already over, another one at The Oval set for a potentially tense final-day finale.

And a triple centurion, just, in Kent run machine Daniel Bell-Drummond at Northampton.

What is more, it was all done by seven o'clock. Well played sirs.

Join us again in the morning, just before 11, after Ten To The Top.

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex (457, 24 pts), Warwickshire (158 & 381, 2 pts) by nine wickets

Southampton: Hampshire (419, 21 pts) beat Middlesex (150 & 172-6, 1 pt) by an innings & 61 runs

Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 237 & 214-5, Kent 621

Taunton: Somerset (163 & 514-8 dec, 19 pts) beat Nottinghamshire (186 & 92, 3 pts) by 399 runs

The Oval: Lancashire 274 & 293, Surrey 360 & 57-5

Division Two

Cardiff: Glamorgan 242 & 319, Sussex 203 & 27-1

Leicester: Durham 516-7 dec & 296-2, Leicestershire 422

New Road: Worcestershire 237 & 70-2, Derbyshire 578-5 dec

Leeds: Yorkshire 550-9 dec, Gloucestershire 421-8 (95 overs)

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Alex Lees has joined an elite group of Durham players in scoring a century in both innings of a first-class match.

He was left sweating on 99 after the umpires took the players off for bad light at 5.27pm. We were then told that was it for the day, which I found strange since we hadn't reached 6pm. Most people left the ground but the umpires then said play would resume at 6.10pm.

Since then Lees has reached his hundred and has been joined on three figures by David Bedingham.

Six Durham players have scored hundreds in both innings. The most recent before today was Sean Dickson at Worcester last year.

The stand of 212 is also Durham's best for a third wicket against the Foxes, beating the 166 added by Mike Hussey, on his debut here in 2005, along with Gordon Muchall.

Durham have added 76 runs from the 11 overs possible in this mini-session and seen Alex Lees move to 138 with David Bedingham on 112 at the other end. They have put on an unbroken 212 for the third wicket.

The visitors lead by 391 runs and not sure if we see these two out there again in the morning, given that Durham can call upon Matty Potts, released by England.

If Leicestershire conjur up a way to win from here it would be one of the great results in the game.

Job just about done for Ari Karvelas who has guided Sussex to stumps at a gloomy Sophia Gardens without further damage, despite edging Andrew Salter past an off-balance Kiran Carlson off the final ball of the day.

They will require 332 runs from tomorrow's 96 overs if they are to claim a win which would be astonishing given the circumstances.

Job done by nightwatchman Tom Lawes.

Surrey have avoided any further damage after that four-wicket burst from Tom Bailey, followed by the removal of Rory Burns by Jack Blatherwick.

Reigning champions Surrey still need another 151 runs to complete a sixth win in eight County Championship games this summer - and a seventh in succession at home.

But, although this is the tightest corner they have been in this season, you would not back against Gareth Batty's battlers.

The conditions will not be quite so oppressive in the morning. This was Lancashire's best chance tonight. And, for all Bailey's heroics in that burst of four scalps in 16 balls, they may have needed to do a just a little bit more damage before the Kookaburra lost its early magic.

for David Bedinghampublished at 18:32 British Summer Time 27 June 2023

18:32 BST 27 June 2023

Leicestershire 422 v Durham 517-6 dec & 276-2

Bet Durham are glad the skies improved enough to get them back out for this 25-minute burst.

A second century in 15 minutes as David Bedingham nudges Callum Parkinson into mid-wicket for a single for his third century of the summer and 16th of his first-class career.

It came from 105 balls with eight fours and four sixes.

Tom Bailey finally gets a breather after 11 straight overs - and George Balderson comes back on to send down the penultimate over.

Will Jacks turns down a single as he does not want to be on strike for the final over. That is a job for nightwatchman Tom Lawes, who has six deliveries from Jack Blatherwick to face.

Durham are going through the gears in the gloaming, Alex Lees has breezed to 127 with a flurry of boundaries while David Bedingham has 93 from 101 balls.

The lead is up to 361.

Three overs to go at The Ovalpublished at 18:23 British Summer Time 27 June 2023

18:23 BST 27 June 2023

Surrey 51-5

Surrey go to 50 off the final ball of the 21st over, the 11th of Tom Bailey‘s shift.

Three overs to go at The Oval.

Maybe one more from Baildog?

Has he got anything left in the tank?

A frustrating third day at Headingley is over.

No play before lunch and a couple of stoppages for bad light have slowed the game up, but Gloucestershire have fought hard.

The stand of 162 between Oli and Tom Price has taken them past the follow-on and with a good chance of saving the match.

for Alex Leespublished at 18:18 British Summer Time 27 June 2023

18:18 BST 27 June 2023

Leicestershire 422 v Durham 517-6 dec & 225-2

Back in the middle and back in the runs. His second century of the match. Just the sixth Durham man to achieve this feat.

Lees dances down the track and smashes Callum Parkinson to the fence at long-on to bring up his century from 158 balls with his 11th four. His 19th first-class ton.

Well, well, well. Talk of stumps due to bad light was clearly premature.

Durham will be weighing-up when to declare for the second time in this match to give themselves the best chance of winning, without giving Leicestershire a sniff of a chase, which they have already proved capable of on the final day this season.

The lead is 315. Who knows how many overs tonight and 96 overs on the slate tomorrow. What is the magic number?

Surrey skipper Rory Burns is now on to 20 and, so far, with fhe help of Will Jacks, this fifth-wicket pair have battened down the hatches.

Have they now drawn the sting from a tiring Tom Bailey, after nine dramatic overs from the big lad?

Nick Gledhill
BBC Essex

A very impressive win for Essex that takes them to within 23 points of Surrey, at least for the time being.

It was very much a win to the Essex template with centuries from Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence and contributions down the order before an excellent bowling display ensured a match-winning first innings lead.

Warwickshire fought hard today with some enterprising batting in an extended 225 run afternoon session, Jake Lintott was particularly impressive in making 78 off 67 balls in his second championship match.

He took the attack to Simon Harmer before becoming the last of his 10 victims in the match.

Essex breezed to their target of 83 with Feroze Kushi striking two sixes in his 40 before Westley went past 750 runs for the season.

Essex are looking back to their best at Chelmsford. Warwickshire still have a game in hand, but this is a damaging defeat.

Just the four scoring shots in the opening eight overs.

Key for Sussex is getting through the remaining 10 overs without losing any wickets you'd think.

Another stoppage in Leeds and with each one, the chance of a positive result lessens.

Oli Price remains on 97 not out with Matt Taylor at the other end after Zafar Gohar went cheaply.

Glosters trail by 129 but they have a chance of getting to 450 and securing a maximum five batting points.

All over at Taunton!

Dane Paterson is brilliantly caught by Craig Overton at second slip to wrap up a sensational win for Somerset.

From a 23-run deficit after the first innings, they have won by a whopping 399 runs.

George Bartlett and James Rew set this up with second innings tons, before the run out of Haseeb Hameed was followed by superb bowling from Overton and Matt Henry and the rest of the Notts innings has been a procession.

Somerset get their second win of the Championship and climb above Notts into fifth in the table.