Essex are very much in survival mode here.

Luke Procter bangs the ball in short and Tom Westley misses a pull shot as the ball appears to bounce off the chest guard or shoulder on the way to the slip cordon.

Not off the edge though.

Tom Taylor starts his over wide of off and moves his line closer and closer to the outside edge of Paul Walter's bat.

But the fourth ball is leg side and deflected to fine leg for one.

One more Essex run via a leg bye.

These are tough batting conditions. The ball is almost hooping around corners in these overheads.

Luke Procter beats the outside edge of Tom Westley's bat and the ball bounces awkwardly off the gauntlets of keeper Lewis McManus for two byes.

Jack White is bowling round the wicket to Paul Walter, who is driving with more confidence, albeit without clearing the in field.

Image source, Rex Features

Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed will begin the Notts reply, with Ethan Bamber taking the new ball.

Middlesex need three wickets for a point, six wickets for two points and nine for three... all in 110 overs, of course.

As it stands they are one point behind Kent in the live table.

An eventful over from Luke Procter, who concedes four with a Paul Walter drive through cover, then cuts the batter in half with one that jags back sharply off the seam.

Jack White is generating away swing at the other end and Tom Westley leaves.

White ends the over with a vicious leg cutter and an appeal for caught behind is turned down.

That ball might have gone off the thigh pad.

Having originally been named as a nominated player to return for Kent in their match with Lancashire, the club have informed us that Zak Crawley is unwell and will now not play in this fixture.

Kent will therefore stick with the same XI which was selected for this match, so Ben Compton will be in the line-up should the hosts bat again.

Tom Bailey is back into the attack... bowling off-breaks. Dual spin for the visitors for a while at least. Still 30 overs away from any new ball.

Ben Compton punches towards extra cover off the back foot to move to 56.

Kent are 87 shy of a batting bonus point but likely will need to at least match Middlesex's effort to feel any semblance of comfort, so call it 187.

How costly might that Paul Walter drop be?

Jack White bowls a peach of a delivery on middle and off and the ball moves off the seam, just past the outside edge of Tom Westley's bat.

The lights are on here - and it's quite possible this game will be the next one to be disrupted.

Image source, Rex Features

Storm Agnes is definitely making her presence felt after lunch.

They're off at Edgbaston, Southampton, Chester-le-Street and Headingley. More could well be added to that list in the near future looking at the radar.

The umpires have put their light meters away and led the players off the field.

Welcome respite for Surrey, who fell to 135-6 in that session and could easily have lost more to the spin of Liam Dawson.

But with Essex faring little better with the bat at Northampton, Surrey remain firm favourites to wrap up the Championship title at least by Friday afternoon, if not before.

Walter dropped on onepublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 27 September 2023

14:27 BST 27 September 2023

Northants 369 v Essex 73-4

Jack White finds the outside edge of Paul Walter's bat...

But the ball is fumbled and dropped by Karun Nair at first slip.

A low chance certainly, but a chance nonetheless.

Liam Dawson is continuing to cause Surrey problems here.

But he's not getting much luck.

The Hampshire spinner lures Jordan Clark forward to drive and an outside edge sends the ball flying wide of James Vince at first slip and through to third man for four.

The umpires are taking a light meter reading...

for Ben Comptonpublished at 14:23 British Summer Time 27 September 2023

14:23 BST 27 September 2023

Kent 152-3 v Lancashire 327

By the incredibly high standards he set last season, this has been a down year for Ben Compton.

He has not reached three figures since April but he has produced a potentially important knock here.

Given the talk that Zak Crawley will take his place should Kent bat for a second time, this innings has come with additional focus in a way.

The quest for bonus points is into double figures.

Compton raises his bat after a 146-ball stint featuring just five fours.

up for Kentpublished at 14:18 British Summer Time 27 September 2023

14:18 BST 27 September 2023

Kent 151-3 v Lancashire 327

Kent are within 100 runs of a batting bonus point of their own.

The way things are looking they are going to need them too.

Tom Westley is forward to a leg side ball from Jack White, clipping it away behind square for four runs.

33 runs have been added by Westley and Matt Critchley since the third wicket fell and there's just a hint of an Essex acceleration here.

They need it, too. With Surrey now in danger of being bowled out for less than 300, Essex need maximum batting points to stay in the title race.

They have more today than they have earned all season. That shows you how focused they are.

That makes it three bonus points apiece with Kent so far, leaving Kent just a point ahead in the live table overall.

Liam Dawson gets an outside edge out of Cameron Steel but the ball lands in front of James Vince at slip.

Jordan Clark gets four runs off Kyle Abbott at the other end with a flashing back foot drive through cover.

Four more runs are driven down the ground off the same bowler - and Surrey pass 150 in the 65th over.