Essex favourites after Critchley's allround show

Division One

Essex vs Somerset

Matthew Critchley starred with both bat and ball to put Essex in pole position against Somerset by the end of the third day's play. Resuming at 15/1, Essex were reduced to 100/5 after Somerset struck at regular intervals. But Critchley fought hard for a vital fifty that saw the home side declare at 170/7. Chasing a huge target of 466, Somerset got off to a decent start and were 90/1 at one stage before Essex struck. Crichley trapped half-centurion Tom Lammonby and then removed George Bartlett to turn the tide. Simon Harmer then castled Tom Kohler-Cadmore before stumps were called. Somerset now need 294 runs on the final day for victory and have only six wickets in hand.

Brief scores: Somerset 167 & 172/4 (Tom Lammonby 59; Matthew Critchley 2/29) need another 294 runs vs Essex462/9d & 170/7 decl. (Matthew Critchley 52; Kasey Aldridge 4/36)

Lancashire vs Hampshire

A strong comeback with the ball helped Lancashire seize control of their contest against Hampshire. Having conceded a huge first innings lead, Hampshire made a strong start to their second innings. At one point on Day 3, they were well placed at 183/2 before George Balderson struck twice in one over to pull things back. While James Vince fought hard and found a bit of support from the lower order, Hampshire could still post only 371 on the board, setting Lancashire a target of 140. While they did lose their openers, Lancashire finished the day at 48/2 and need only 92 more runs on the final day to get the job done.

Brief scores: Lancashire 374 & 48/2 (Dane Vilas 23*) need another 92 runs vs Hampshire142 & 371 (James Vince 87; George Balderson 3/83)

Nottinghamshire vs Warwickshire

Joe Clarke struck a masterful century on the third day but victory looks like a foregone conclusion now for Warwickshire. Resuming at 82/5, Nottinghamshire were bowled out for just 82. When asked to follow on, they lost their top three batters for just 86. Joe Clarke then went on a boundary hitting spree, finding the boundary on 22 occasions. He first added 100 for the fourth wicket before adding 81 for the fifth by stumps. In the process, he remained unbeaten on 119 and brought the deficit down to 149 by stumps. But with only six wickets remaining, Nottinghamshire need a miracle to avoid defeat.

Kent vs Surrey

A resolute half-century from Dominic Sibley and a counterattacking hundred from Jamie Smith has kept Surrey on track against Kent in their pursuit of a mammoth 501-run target. From 197/6, Kent initially staged a commendable comeback after Hamidullah Qadri struck 72 lower down the order to help his side post 344 on the board. However, chasing 501, Sibley held his own at one end and batted patiently to score 61* off 212 balls. The century from Smith was totally in contrast as he hammered 114 off just 77 deliveries before getting out. All that drama has ensured a dramatic final day is on the cards now as the batting side needs another 238 for a remarkable win.

Brief scores: Surrey145 & 263/3 (Jamie Smith 114, Dominic Sibley 61*) need another 238 runs vs Kent301 & 344 (Tawanda Muyeye 79; Daniel Worrall 3/63) Division Two

Durham vs Glamorgan

A first-innings lead of 240 proved to be quite a handful as Durham put themselves in charge of their contest against Glamorgan. Resuming at 411/5, Durham piled on the misery on the third day as well even though overnight centurion David Bedingham added only 17 more runs to his tally. Graham Clark and Bas de Leede made 80 and 85 to add to the bowling side's woes and the last three batters combined to add 91 runs as well. Even though Glamorgan's openers made a strong start, adding 83 for the first wicket in a desperate bid to keep the game alive, de Leede made a huge impact with the ball, picking up three wickets as Glamorgan went into stumps at 159/4, still trailing by 81 runs.

Brief scores: Glamorgan 390 & 159/4 (Andrew Salter 48; Bas de Leede 3/25) trail Durham 630 (David Bedingham 151; Andy Gorvin 3/88) by 81 runs

Sussex vs Worcestershire

A stunning fightback with the bat helped Sussex turn around their fortunes against Worcestershire. Once Jake Libby fell for overnight score 198. Worcestershire finished with a first innings lead of 62. Tom Clark and Tom Haines then erased the deficit pretty quick in their opening partnership of 143. But in the space of four more runs, the batting side lost full control as four quick wickets fell. However, half-centuries from Tom Alsop, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Jack Carson helped Sussex fight again as they finished the day with a lead of 297 runs.

Brief scores: Sussex 348 &359/6 (Tom Haines 91, Tom Alsop 67*; Matthew Waite 2/64) lead Worcestershire410 by 297 runs

Derbyshire vs Yorkshire

Three late wickets for Yorkshire has set up a tantalising finish against Derbyshire on the final day. From 248/4, Derbyshire ended up posting a huge 453 on the board after Leus du Plooy went on to smash 170. Despite those efforts, Derbyshire could only set 212 as a target for Yorkshire as a result of their first innings debacle. Shan Masood and Jonathan Tattersall appeared to be guiding their side home with ease in the chase before a wicket from Alex Thompson and a double strike from Mark Watt dragged Derbyshire from the dead. Yorkshire now need 65 to complete the win with Derbyshire needing four more wickets to crash the party.

Brief scores: Yorkshire 353 & 147/6 (Shan Masood 68*; Mark Watt 3/46) need another 65 runs vs Derbyshire111 & 453 (Leus du Plooy 170, Haider Ali 146)

Gloucestershire vs Leicestershire

A fighting century from skipper Lewis Hill didn't prove to be enough as Leicestershire conceded the first innings lead to Gloucestershire in a contest that looks destined to end in a draw. Even though the likes of Colin Ackermann and Peter Handscomb failed to fire, Leicestershire received a huge lift from their skipper Hill. With Gloucestershire striking at regular intervals, Hill staged a lone battle and managed to bring up a century. But his wicket with his side still needing 42 runs to erase the deficit proved to be huge as Leicestershire eventually fell 18 runs short of the total.

Brief scores: Gloucestershire 368 & 9/0 lead Leicestershire350 (Lewis Hill 103, Rishi Patel 59; Zaman Akter 4/33, Oliver Price 3/40) by 27 runs