Northants need 27 in eight overs for another batting point here.

But the team are nine down and Karun Nair is uncharacteristically slogging and missing.

Another ugly swipe as he swings and misses outside off.

He connects this time though, with a six over mid wicket.

Swinging through the line of the ball there.

The next ball lands just short of mid on, lofted off the toe end of the bat.

The fifth delivery is driven with the bat almost horizontal and the ball runs off an inside edge for four.

How disappointing. Umpires Nigel Llong and Steve O'Shaughnessy decide it isn't light enough for Hampshire to face even spin bowling.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, Essex need to win this game in the hope of eating into Surrey's 18 point lead at the top.

Both teams have earned three points so far from their respective games.

Karun Nair faces Jamie Overton.

The batter swings and misses as he aims a swipe to long off.

The fifth ball is leg side and clipped square for one.

Jack White leaves the last ball outside off.

As the BBC commentary team debate the word 'crepuscular', the light is closing in at Chelmsford.

Essex call up spinner Simon Harmer to bowl the seventh over of the innings. There's a bat-pad appeal against Toby Albert from his second delivery but the Hampshire opener survives.

It's a maiden.

Tom Lawes tests Jack White out with a short one, which the Northants number 11 ducks.

A play and a miss from the crease as Lawes bowls a fuller length and just misses the stumps.

Maiden over.

There's only one team who might welcome rain this afternoon at Lord's - and it's not Warwickshire.

The Bears are quickly taking this game out of Middlesex's reach, with captain Will Rhodes now within 12 of a hundred after cutting Tom Helm to the boundary just now.

You wouldn't rule out a ton for Danny Briggs, either. He's on 63 and the visitors' lead is now 92.

Ouch.

Jamie Overton fires in a bumper to Karun Nair, who takes one hand off the bat as he drops the ball safely via the bottom hand into the off side.

Nair is in some discomfort as he again takes the hand off the bat, driving into the off side for no run.

The fifth ball is driven with a neat turn of the wrists through wide mid on for four past Jordan Clark.

Great shot. Little more than a block really but superbly timed.

We have had two days with no cricket at Old Trafford because of the weather - and it has been a "frustrating season" for a number of reasons, according to all-rounder George Balderson.

"We set out wanting to win all three trophies at the start and aren’t going to win one so that’s disappointing," he said.

“We’ve put in some good performances, especially in four-day cricket at times, but we’ve not been helped by weather.....hopefully we can continue to put in those performances next year, get a little bit more luck with the weather, and try and improve a bit and see if we can be up there.

“If you look at our record against Surrey in four-day cricket over the last couple of years, it’s very good. So, we know we can compete and play as good as, if not better, cricket than them."

He added: “If you lose a day to weather it’s hard work to find a result. That’s up to us as a group of players, to find ways to do that and go further than we have done over the last few years.”

Jack White survives the rest of Jamie Overton's over, despite playing and missing an expansive off drive off the last ball.

Karun Nair might have to have a go here.

He does! A cross batted swipe off Tom Lawes sends the ball high over keeper and first slip and the ball runs away for four.

The field spreads out to the boundary.

The fifth delivery is called no ball and swung almost vertically through mid wicket for one.

Jack White digs out an attempted yorker for four down the ground!

Image source, Rex Features

No major alarms yet for Hampshire. Just a couple of singles from Jamie Porter's second over. Toby Albert has six and Fletcha Middleton is one not out.

for Danny Briggspublished at 13:30 British Summer Time 20 September 2023

13:30 BST 20 September 2023

Middlesex 121 v Warwicks 187-6

Image source, Rex Features

That's a first half-century of the summer for Danny Briggs and potentially a decisive innings in the context of this match.

Briggs drives Tom Helm for his ninth boundary and that takes him to the landmark from 87 balls.

His partnership with Will Rhodes has now reached 92.

No play at Worcesterpublished at 13:27 British Summer Time 20 September 2023

13:27 BST 20 September 2023

Worcestershire 104-1 v Durham

Rain is still falling at New Road and the umpires decide that no play will be possible on day two.

Jake Libby remains four runs short of a half-century, with Azhar Ali on five not out.

The club say "the forecast looks better for days three and four", which is good news.

Durham still need a maximum of five points to seal the Division Two title.

Tom Taylor gets the first run of the session, pushed out on to the leg side.

It might be a short session, given the gloomy overheads.

The blustery conditions are picked up on the mic as Umpire Paul Pollard briefly loses his hat Karun Nair plays the ball defensively back to Tom Lawes.

A couple of twos for Toby Albert from Jamie Porter's opening over.

Sam Cook will share the new ball and Fletcha Middleton is on strike.

We're back under way after lunch at Lord's and Jayant Yadav opens the afternoon session with an over that costs him just a single.

That run takes Danny Briggs to 45 not out and Warwickshire's lead to exactly 60.

This has been a remarkable turnaround for Northants, who were reeling on 151-6 late yesterday afternoon as Surrey's attack restricted the visitors to less than three runs an over for much of the day.

Tom Taylor was the catalyst for a complete change of approach this morning, often scoring at a run a ball in partnership with Karun Nair, who batted patiently but with no little flair for a maiden unbeaten 107 for Northants.

The new ball hasn't worked for Surrey so far and if anything has been less responsive off the pitch than the old one.

72 runs have been scored in 16 overs since then.

Tom Taylor takes guard against Tom Lawes on 65 not out.

The wind is getting up at Chelmsford - is this a precursor of what is to come?

Jamie Porter will open the bowling for Essex with Toby Albert in his sights at the other end of the pitch.

Clive Eakin
BBC CWR Sport

Warwickshire have batted themselves into a dominant position despite the best efforts of Tim Murtagh

The 42-year-old, playing in his final home match before converting from player to coach has taken the only two wickets to fall to complete a five-for but hasn't been able to prevent Will Rhodes and Ed Barnard from taking control of the game.

The Warwickshire pair haven't been untroubled but they've managed the conditions well to accumulate by far the highest partnership of the game so far, adding 85.

On another very windy day, there is the threat of inclement weather this afternoon but the Bears have made positive use of what play has been possible.