up for Kentpublished at 13:30 British Summer Time 27 September 2023

13:30 BST 27 September 2023

Kent 101-2 v Lancashire 327

This feels like the calm before the storm, whether it's Agnes or a cricketing one remains to be seen.

A clip to square leg for a single from Jack Leaning off Will Williams takes Kent into three figures.

150 more needed for a point, 78 overs in which to crack on.

Just a couple of runs off Taylor's over.

Ben Sanderson gets the ball to move away a fraction outside off and Tom Westley leaves.

Steady from Essex here - who will surely try to move up a few gears later this afternoon in their quest for bonus points.

A single apiece for Sai Sudharsan and Will Jacks to start the afternoon session.

James Fuller is bowling round the wicket and Sai Sudharsan turns the ball round the corner for one more - running the single at an impressive pace.

Mohammad Abbas is on the field for Hampshire, but he won't bowl for a little while after a bit of time off the field this morning with a suspected back injury.

Seven runs off the over.

for Ryan Higginspublished at 13:23 British Summer Time 27 September 2023

13:23 BST 27 September 2023

Notts v Middlesex 279-6

If you didn't put him in your team of the season because his top score was 71 this season then you might be regretting it now!

Nine half-centuries and now a ton, brought up with a boundary off Steven Mullaney, his ninth four in a 150-ball knock.

Ryan Higgins aka Diggins, has put Middlesex on his shoulders in the last few weeks and few milestones have been as richly deserved as this one.

He joins Sam Robson in being the only Middlesex batters to reach three figures in the Championship this year.

Just how crucial these runs will be will only become clear in the hours and days to come.

Batting bonus point two inches ever closer.

Two Surrey wickets fell in the morning session, both to the bowling of Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson.

But Sai Sudharsan countered with an unbeaten 61.

He's at the crease with the dangerous Will Jacks, who has already smashed two sixes in his 15 not out.

James Fuller will bowl to Sudharsan from the Hotel End.

The lights are on at a gloomy Northants HQ.

Not the mini session of play Essex would've hoped for after dismissing Northants this morning.

Remember, they need every bonus point available, a win and a Surrey loss to Hampshire to pip their south London rivals to the title.

Essex captain Tom Westley resumes with Dan Lawrence.

Westley will face Tom Taylor.

Out stride Ben Compton and Jack Leaning to start the afternoon session.

Kent need to keep pace with Middlesex with the bat, at least.

159 runs needed as a minimum, you'd imagine...

Will Williams gets the first over after lunch.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

It’s a tough life being an opening batter.

Kraigg Brathwaite no doubt realised how tricky it would be to take on a four-game spell as an overseas player in September.

His next red-ball engagement is likely to be a Test series in Australia in January, which is sure to be demanding, but even there he won’t get too many trickier deliveries first-up than the one he got here from Lewis Gregory, which swung away just enough to knock out his off stump.

Just before lunch, Jack Brooks feathered Rob Yates’s outside edge, just when Yates and Will Rhodes seemed to be building a sturdy response to Somerset’s 215.

Earlier, Neil Wagner and Josh Davey had extended their ninth-wicket stand for another hour in dismal light.

The field was set back throughout for Wagner, but he picked his battles carefully, hooking Oliver Hannon-Dalby into the stand on his way to a career-best 72.

The sight of Jack Brooks arriving at number 11 provoked Davey to thrash the next ball from Chris Rushworth skywards, so there was nothing for Brooks to do but walk off again.

Rushworth’s fifth wicket brought him neck-and-neck with Hannon-Dalby on 53 Championship wickets, with one innings to go in their personal race.

It's not been a great return from Brathwaite so far... scores of 16, 9, 9, 8, 3 & 0 in his six innings.

More from head coach Alan Richardson after Worcestershire sealed promotion earlier...

“It feels like we’ve been really focused on trying to achieve certain things, and they came up with how they wanted to play their cricket alongside the coaching staff and how they would behave and conduct themselves throughout the season.

“They’ve been able to do that brilliantly well. They’ve shown a tremendous amount of focus.

“We’ve probably had a bit of luck at times, which we’ve not always had. Certainly, in the red ball game at the start of the year, our task was made a little bit easier with weather conditions.

“But we still had to put in some amazing shifts, which we did against Leicestershire at home and Sussex at home, to either win or save games.

“The togetherness of the group, and whoever has come into that group, has played a key part for me.

“At times, we talked about the toughness of last year and how difficult it was, and the guys have probably learnt a little bit from that.”

Kevin Hand
BBC Radio London

The nerves are jangling a third of the way through what could well be moving day for the survival scrap in Division One.

By stumps one of Middlesex or Kent are likely to know they must win their respective fixtures at Trent Bridge or Canterbury.

The long game is the one that both sides appear, quite rightly, to be playing at this stage with Ryan Higgins on the verge of one of the most deserved hundreds of the season against Nottinghamshire and Kent making a solid start to their first innings in reply to Lancashire's 327.

Middlesex have to beat Kent's points return in this round by one so the first target is batting points - of which they have only claimed two prior to today all season.

With Higgins, his county's leading run scorer, on the verge of a century - only the second Middlesex to reach the milestone this summer if he does - so too his side are on the verge of doubling their batting points return for the season.

Partners are running out for Higgins, but India's Jayant Yadav has a Test century to his name and the pair have a partnership of 33 for the seventh wicket with the big hitting visiting skipper, Toby Roland-Jones, to come.

The pitch is slightly on the slower side for Trent Bridge but there is enough movement if the lines and lengths remain consistent while the overheads also seem to be likely to play a part as batting seemed far easier in the late evening sun yesterday.

Who will blink first - Middlesex or Kent? At the moment it's more a case of who will offer a mini collapse first to move things on - both will be hoping any tumble doesn't come in the blink of an eye.

Scott Read
BBC Radio Lancashire commentator

Have you seen Zak Crawley?

It was a question I heard on a few occasions before play this morning, only for Kent to confirm he's only going to be considered for this game from tomorrow.

So Ben Compton, the nominated player to drop out, walked out to open the batting and he's been very Ben Compton so far. Trying to build a platform for a sizeable Kent first innings total, he's 26 from 96 balls.

Lancashire beat the bat several times this morning, the morning pair of Will Williams and Tom Bailey getting the ball to move around.

Kent are fighting hard to get in front in this match and to keep alive their survival hopes.

Earlier this morning, Worcestershire passed 300 at Headingley and got the two batting bonus points they required for promotion from Division Two.

Here's what head coach Alan Richardson had to say after...

"We’ve played some really good cricket throughout in red and white ball.

"It has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster at times with everything that has gone on.

“But I think all of the lads in the squad have held themselves brilliantly well, have not been distracted, shown some remarkable resilience in terms of the performance and in how they’ve moved forward.

“You hoped that they could go on and achieve the red ball goal we set out at the start of the season, and they deserve it."

Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

Nothing much between the sides at lunch as Sussex look to build on their slender first innings lead of seven.

In truth its easy to see how these two sides have only won two Championship games between them this season.

Batters from both sides have been culpable of some poor shots, and although the wicket is offering some help to the bowlers, it’s essentially a good batting surface

Division One

Hants 219 v Surrey 114-4

Kent 91-2 v Lancs 327

Northants 369 v Essex 31-2

Notts v Middlesex 274-6

Warwickshire 58-2 v Somerset 215

Division Two

Durham 457-8 dec v Leics 49-4

Glamorgan v Derbys 346-4 - in play

Sussex 202 & 29-1 v Gloucs 195

Yorkshire 24-0 v Worcs 389

A tough session of attrition for Surrey, adding just 67 to their overnight total for the loss of Ryan Patel and Ben Foakes.

But Sai Sudharsan is 61 not out, having notched up his maiden 50 for the Division One leaders.

Surrey only need a draw for back to back Championship titles.

But with Sudharsan at the crease they will be much more ambitious than that.

Northants supporters must be wondering what might have been for the club after an excellent passage of play at HQ this morning.

Too little, too late however- - as Northants are already relegated.

Dan Lawrence leaves Ben Sanderson outside off, and that's lunch.

Northants added 90 runs to their overnight total, thanks in the main to Rob Keogh and Justin Broad.

Essex need maximum batting points and a big win here for any chance of passing Surrey at the top of the table.

But both Essex openers have gone early, dismissed by Ben Sanderson.

Image source, Rex Features

Stephen Eskinazi and Ryan Higgins have posted season's best scores to help the visitors take a batting bonus point, and put them in sight of more.

Higgins has made his ninth half-century of the season but goes into lunch one short of his first century of the summer.

Jayant Yadav has played nicely for his 23 and will be key after lunch. Seven overs remain this afternoon before Notts can take the new ball.

Can Middlesex add at least the 26 overs needed for another bonus point before it arrives?

A close shave for Will Jacks, who is tentatively forward to Ian Holland, chipping the Hampshire bowler just a modicum short of mid off.

The last over of this session will be bowled by Liam Dawson.

Late lunch here at Northampton too because of...yep, the bad weather on Day One.

Dan Lawrence pulls a short ball from Jack White nonchalantly through mid wicket for his first four.

A couple of fours in the remainder of that Jack Morley over from Jack Leaning will make him feel much better.

Losing a second wicket in the over before lunch is far from ideal for Kent, especially having lost Tawanda Muyeye for 46, when he was just finding his groove.

29 overs into the 110 allowed to amass bonus points and Kent are 159 short of their first.

Their advantage over Middlesex has been whittled by one this morning.

Tensions are rising.