We have play at Chelmsford.

Mo Abbas comes in to start his 14th over following the rain hold-up and Matt Critchley forces away through the off side and adds three runs to his score.

Dan Worrall starts with a no ball but bowls a good opening over after that on the line of off stump with three slips.

Hassan Azad is forward to push the fourth ball into the off side for one.

Kemar Roach bowls round the wicket from the Pavilion End, with two slips and a gully.

The fifth ball is very full and dug out from the crease by Azad.

Durham skipper Scott Borthwick has called correctly at New Road and opted to put second-placed Worcestershire in.

Remember, the north-east county need a maximum of five points from this game to clinch the Division Two title.

Newcomer Vishwa Fernando comes into the Durham team in the absence of Matthew Potts, with on-loan paceman Ben Allison keeping his place in the home XI.

We have play once more after a lengthy delay for rain and bad light.

Joe Cracknell makes a fine start to the evening session, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Ed Barnard to move to 26.

45 overs are scheduled. We may not get them all.

Josh de Caires also gets off the mark after tea with a four, cracking a Chris Rushworth loosener through third man.

43 overs left. But that figure will change if rain or bad light intervenes.

Hassan Azad is back in the middle with Karun Nair.

Azad will face Dan Worrall.

An awkward moment for Lewis Goldsworthy, who is stuck on the crease playing and missing a drive outside off.

The ball misses the edge.

More frustration for Kent and for Bhuiyan Arafat.

Goldsworthy ducks under a bouncer and then comes forward to defend length balls.

There's a tiny bit of drizzle in the air as Daniel Bell-Drummond comes on to bowl.

Lammonby defends and gets a single off an inside edge.

The last ball is pushed square into the off side by Goldsworthy for one.

Shan Masood is in a hurry.

He does little but stab a Will Davis delivery and the shot is timed so well it flies to the rope for his fourth boundary in his first eight balls.

Yorkshire are racing along here at more than four-and-a-half an over. Leicestershire need to regroup here.

Tea is scheduled for 16:00 by the way.

Somerset are looking comfortable here, on a green pitch where Kent won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Lewis Goldsworthy moves to 20 with a nudge to square leg off the bowling of Jas Singh for one.

Tom Lammonby picks up two more with a sweetly timed glance behind square leg for two.

The worst of the rain has passed over Chelmsford but the resumption following an early tea has been delayed. Even with the lights on, the umpires say it isn't bright enough for play to re-start.

After the rain relented, bad light then took over at Lord's.

Howeve, the umpires are now satisfied and have said play will restart at 15:30 if there is no further worsening in the weather.

We are going to see some play in the game involving the top two in Division Two.

Barring further rain, there will be 36 overs to bowl before the close.

for Yorkshirepublished at 15:16 BST 19 September 2023

15:16 BST 19 September 2023

Yorks 58-1 v Leics

Finlay Bean sends the ball to the deep square boundary off Will Davis to bring up the Yorkshire 50 in the 13th over.

He then tucks away his seventh boundary to go to 34 off 44 balls.

Yorkshire have made a fine start despite the loss of Adam Lyth.

Finlay Bean is looking particularly good on a pitch which is green but behaving itself impeccably so far.

The howling wind whipping across the pitch perhaps isn’t helping the bowlers with their lines.

Image source, Rex Features

If - and only if there is no more rain before then.

43 overs left in the day.

Shot! Tom Lammonby gets a bit of width from Jas Singh and cuts the ball late through deep point for four runs.

Lovely, flowing stroke.

He'll keep the strike with a single driven into the off side.

Lammonby is squared up by the fourth ball from Arafat, but nudges the ball away safely into the off side for one.

Kent need wickets but there's not much happening in the air or off the pitch.

But Lewis Goldsworthy is then completely turned around by a ball from Jas Singh as he tries to work it to leg.

A leading edge flies past third slip for four runs.

The last ball of the over is driven straight down the ground by Goldsworthy for four to take the hosts to 100 in 22 overs.

Neil Bainton is one of the umpires at the Leicestershire v Yorkshire game. It is apparently, the 250th first-class fixture he has stood in, so congratulations to Neil on his quarter-century.

Image source, Rex Features

Another no ball from Jas Singh in an otherwise tidy over, just back of a length on the line off off stump.

Bhuiyan Arafat bowls just wide of off stump to Lewis Goldsworthy.

But the fifth ball is short and cut away behind square for four.

That's an even better shot, slapped away perfectly square on the off side.

Somerset are cruising again.

Image source, Rex Features

Leicestershire's strike bowlers haven't quite hit their straps yet.

Adam Lyth plays expansively to send a sweetly-timed square drive to the fence off Chris Wright to move on to 16.

A third good-looking four from the former England Test opener.

Finlay Bean also gets in on the act off Tom Scriven. He has half-centuries in his last two first-class innings and moves to 24 off 32 balls.

Confident start.

Another inspection is about to start at New Road.

Fingers crossed for some play between the top two in Division Two.