Highlights

The performance of the day came in Bristol where Yorkshire, who had negotiated a really tough target to chase of 400 in 111 overs, beat Gloucestershire by 4 wickets just in time to record their 2nd victory in succession. Phil Jakes struck 160 and he shared in a match-winning 4th wicket partnership of 203 with Gary Balance who made an exceptional 121 not out to put Yorkshire joint top of the 2nd division table.

There was plenty of excitement at Grace Road where Leicestershire were asked to chase 341 off 86 overs by Northants. At one point they looked set to get it as they reached 240 for 4 from 66, leaving them 100 to get in the last 20. But once Ramnaresh Sarwan was out for 94, the home side collapsed and it was left to the final pair of Wayne White and Matthew Hoggard to see out the last 58 deliveries.

Derbyshire were not happy to chase a target in their game against Hampshire and instead batted throughout the last day in Southampton to collect maximum batting points. Wes Durston smashed 121 and Dan Redfern hit his 2nd hundred of the summer in making a career-best 133 as Derbyshire made 403 for 9.

There was also no agreement to be had at Chelmsford where Essex were all out for 181 in reply to Kent’s 225. Kent made 92 for 2 2nd time around as the game petered out to a draw.

In the first division, the dramatic scenes in Worcester continued after that incredible penultimate day. Worcestershire just held on for a draw in spite of making Surrey follow-on 172 runs behind. They recovered to make 431 for 7 second time around with Tom Maynard hitting a career-best 143 and Rory Hamilton-Brown 115 and that set Worcestershire 260 runs to win in 52 overs. The 9th wicket pair of Matthew Pardoe and David Lucas blocked out the last 45 balls to earn the draw in what was a fantastic contest.

Indeed all four first division games were drawn. Durham just about batted well enough to secure the draw with Somerset after days two and three were wiped out. Somerset made 267 in their fist innings with Craig Kieswetter left unbeaten on 96. That gave them a first innings lead of 142 and they then reduced Durham to 186 for 7 with an hour to go. Ian Blackwell and the tail held out, though.

Middlesex made no effort to chase the 298 in 53 overs that they were offered by Notts. They ended on 87 without loss with Andrew Strauss at least having a long net ahead of the first Test match next week, he made 43 not out.

And there was never a chance of a result at Hove in a match which didn’t even start until the last day. Lancashire declared on 144 for 8 and that allowed Matt Prior to come out for a hit. He struck 86 off 80 balls as Sussex raced to 300 for 8 from only 48 overs to earn 5 bonus points on a very entertaining day.

The next Goughie's LV County Catch-up comes from Hove next week. Our man goes swimming underwater and chats to Monty Panesar.

There were some extraordinary happenings in Worcester where Surrey, replying to Worcestershire's 285, collapsed to 43 for 8 before they were eventually dismissed for 113, opener Jacques Rudolph the last man out for 68. Following-on, 172 runs behind Surrey then lost Rudoplh again and Mark Ramprakash with only 11 runs on the board. But Kevin Pietersen, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Tom Maynard then all made 50s as Surrey recovered to 216 for 4 to put them 44 runs ahead with 6 wickets in hand going into what should be a fascinating final day.

Middlesex's Ollie Rayner joined a fairly exclusive club of scoring a hundred as a nightwatchman. He made an unbeaten 143, his first Championship ton, against Notts who couldn't quite do enough to enforce a follow-on at Trent Bridge. Middlesex, in reply to Notts' 423 made 300 for 9 declared and then Rayner chipped in with two wickets to reduce the home side to 22 for 3 in their 2nd innings for a lead of 145.

In spite of better weather across much of the country there was no play in the games between Sussex and Lancashire and Durham versus Somerset.

Into division two where Gloucestershire’s Kane Williamson recorded his 2nd successive century. He made 111 in Bristol against Yorkshire in a game which has been set up by the two captains coming to an agreement. Glos declared twice, on 350 for 9 and 48 without loss while Yorkshire forfeited their first innings. That left them a target of 400 to be made in a minimum of 111 overs and they ended the day on 30 for 1.

Jimmy Adams made 122 and Bilal Shafayat 93 on his Hampshire debut as their side batted throughout the day in Southampton after the first two days were rained off. Hampshire made 352 for 8 against Derbyshire and more negotiations between the two captains will need to take place to fashion a result in this match.

Kent had been 9 for 5 at one point on the first day of their match with Essex in Chelmsford. But Darren Stevens with 119 and Geraint Jones with 88 then added 194 to help their side to 225. Alistair Cook was out for 1 and Ravi Bopara was sent to hospital for a precautionary scan on a leg muscle as Essex replied with 94 for 2.

And, in Leicester, Kyle Coetzer struck his best score for Northants. He made 120 out of his side’s 352 for 7 declared. Leicestershire replied with 38 for 2.

And yet again the weather had a big say in the day as there was no play in Durham, Sussex, Hampshire and Leics and only 10 balls bowled in Chelmsford where Kent moved from 17 for 5 to 24 for 5 in their 2nd division match.

At least, after five days of trying, there was play In Bristol at last and Kane Williamson again looked in terrific form for Gloucestershire. He made an unbeaten 89 having hit 128 in his last innings against Derbyshire. Chris Dent also made 62 as Glos scored 165 for 2 from 51 overs against Yorkshire.

In the first division the best place for cricket was in Nottingham where the home side made 423 against Middlesex with Michael Lumb top scoring with 162. Steven Finn took 4 for 117 but his fellow England player, Andrew Strauss had a day to forget. Having dropped Lumb twice in successive balls when he was in then 90s the England captain was then out for 2 as Middlesex replied with 51 for 3 with Andre Adams again amongst the wickets.

And there was plenty of play in Worcester, too, where the home side moved from 58 without loss overnight to 285 all out to earn their first batting bonus points of the season. At one point they were on 199 for 3 with Moeen Ali making 61 but wickets tumbled to the 2nd new ball to even the game back up in spite of a last wicket stand of 31.

On another very wet day the only place where the rain stayed away all day was at Durham were the first division's bottom team again really struggled with the bat against a weakened Somerset team. Put in, Durham could only muster 125 all out with 18 year-old Craig Overton, in only his 2nd first-class match, claiming 4 for 38.

Mark Stoneman top scored for Durham with 33 as the home side lost their last 7 wickets for only 35 runs in 9 and a half overs. Somerset hardly fared much better when they batted as they slipped to 45 for 4 before Craig Meshede, who had earlier taken 3 for 26, struck a 45-ball 50 before he was dismissed late in the day for 62 to leave Somerset well placed on 220 for 8, 95 runs ahead with Craig Kieswetter unbeaten on 60.

Elsewhere, the rain had more of a say. Indeed there was no play in Hove in the match between Sussex and Lancashire and only 26 overs were possible in Worcester where the home side made 58 without loss against a Surrey side including Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen's former county, Notts put in their best first innings batting performance of the summer against Middlesex at Trent Bridge. Alex Hales and Michael Lumb both hit undefeated half centuries as their side made 132 for 1 before the rain arrived in the East Midlands.

Down the road a fraction in the 2nd division, Northamptonshire made 99 for 3 in what play was possible in Leicester. Kyle Coetzer struck a season's best 43 not out.

There still hasn't been any Championship cricket in Bristol this summer as the first day of Gloucestershire's match with Yorkshire was rained off as was the game between Hampshire and Derbyshire at the Ajeas Bowl.

And there were only 58 balls delivered in Chelmsford but some dramatic cricket as visitors Kent slipped to 9 for 5 against Essex. Charl Willoughby took three wickets in four balls to end the very short day with figures of 4 for 8 as kent made it to 17 for 5 by the early close.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the final day of the only remaining match between Middlesex and Worcestershire played on Sunday, May 6.

And what a game it was. Few expected the Worcs captain Daryll Mitchell to propose an overnight declaration and a forfeit of Middlesex's 2nd innings. That gave the visitors to Lord's 96 overs to score 283 runs. They soon found themselves in real trouble falling to 35 for 4 and losing 5 wickets before lunch. They were eventually dismissed before they had used up half of their allotted overs for 150 to give Middlesex an unexpected victory by 132 runs.

Mitchell later said that you have to draw five games to get the same amount of points as you do for one win so it was a gamble worth taking. He also said that given his time again, he would probably do exactly the same. The victory puts Middlesex, one of the forecasted strugglers in the top flight this summer, into third place in the table.

The next matches begin next Wednesday with Middlesex travelling to 2nd place Notts with the leaders Warwickshire having the week off. Worcs now take on Surrey, that match having been moved to Kidderminster because of the state of the New Road ground in Worcester after all of the recent rain.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the 3rd and final days of the latest round of matches played on Saturday, May 5.

Yorkshire completed their first win of the season by beating Leics by an innings and 22 runs in Scarborough. They were made to work hard on the final day as the visitors at one point reached 282 for 5 only 49 runs behind. But when Wayne White was out for 67 to be immediately followed by Matt Boyce for a career-best 122, Leics crumbled to 309 all out, losing their last 5 wickets for 27 runs in 11 overs. Steven patterson claimed 5 for 77 to see Yorkshire home.

With Andrew Hall back leading their side, bottom club Northants produced a stunning 117 run victory over Hampshire. Hall declared his side's 2nd innings on 232 for 9 to leave Hampshire a target of 297 in 71 overs. They survived only 40 of them as David Willey claimed 5 for 39 to bowl out Hampshire for just 179, the last five wickets tumbling in the space of only 9 overs for 44 runs.

Glamorgan dropped anchor to earn a draw against Essex in Cardiff. With Huw Waters taking 5 for 47, Essex declared their 2nd innings on 166 for 9 having been 37 for 5 at one stage. That left Glamorgan 239 runs to get in 50 overs. At 37 for 4 after 17 they were in trouble but Gareth Rees and Mark Wallace put up the shutters to see their side to the draw on 99 for 5.

Gloucestershire batted throughout the final day in Derby to also earn a draw. Kane Williamson was then only man out in the morning session for 128 but Hamish Marshall with 90 and Ian Cockbain with 63 not out ensured that the door for Derbyshire remained firmly shut as they shook hands on the draw with Gloucs 409 for 4 in their 2nd innings having followed-on 182 runs behind.

Nottinghamshire kept the pressure on leaders Warwickshire at the top of the first division by completing a 185 run victory over Lancashire. They needed only the morning session to claim the last five wickets which gives them their third win of the summer – all three achieved without getting a batting bonus point – while Champions Lancashire slipped to a third defeat out of four games.

The other top division game still has a game to go. Joe Denly hit an unbeaten 134 for Middlesex against Worcs at Lord's. The home side made 327 for 7 declared before Worcs replied with 45 for 2 before bad light intervened. The game looks certain to be a draw as long as Worcs can reach 178 to avoid the follow-on on the final day.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the 3rd day of the latest round of matches played on Friday, May 4.

Warwickshire moved clear at the top of the LV CC first division table by completing a 9 wicket win over struggling Durham at Edgbaston. Keith Barker was the hero for Warwickshire as he completed his first ever 10 wicket match haul. He added figures of 5 for 37 to his first innings 5 for 33 as Durham, beginning their 2nd innings 104 runs behind, were all out for 139. That left Warwickshire the simple task of scoring 36 runs to win and Ian Bell, who had struck 120 in his side's 267 first time around was there to strike the winning run.

Nottinghamshire are looking very well placed to stay right on the Bears tails. They go into the final day of their match with Lancashire at Old Trafford needing only 5 wickets to record their third win of the season. Jimmy Anderson took 5 for 82 as Notts were bowled out for 304 in their 2nd innings to set Lancashire a target of 328 but they then slumped to 39 for 5 before bad light ended the day early.

It was only the 2nd day of the other first division match at Lord’s where Andrew Strauss made 49 for Middlesex as their match with Worcestershire finally got underway after the first day was rained off. Only 40 overs were possible on day 2 in which the hosts made 148 for 2.

In the 2nd division both Gloucestershire and Leicestershire fought back in their matches after being asked to follow-on by Derbyshire and Yorkshire respectively. Kane Williamson scored an unbeaten 106 for Gloucs who have reached 219 for 2 in Derby after following on182 runs behind. They now lead by 37.

Leics, meanwhile, recovered from 14 for 3 to 102 for 3 on a shortened day in Scarborough. They go into the last day still trailing by 229 runs, however.

Glamorgan collapsed again in their game against Essex in Cardiff. Finally responding to Essex’s 259 for 9 after day two was abandoned, The Welshmen were going well on 158 for 4 but then Tymall Mills blasted through the rest with four wickets as Glamorgan were all out for 187 to trail on first innings by 72 runs. Essex added 5 without loss to that before the close.

And Northants and Hampshire made up for lost time after their 2nd day was also lost to the weather. Hampshire were all out for 154 to concede first innings deficit of 64. Northants then reached 176 for 5 to lead by 240 runs going into the final day.


Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the 2nd day of the latest round of matches played on Thursday, May 3.

Once again rain played havoc with the fixtures with no play on day 2 of the matches between Glamorgan and Essex and Northants versus Hampshire while the first day of the game at Lord's between Middlesex and Worcs also fell foul to the weather.

Further north there was a full day in Manchester where Andre Adams recorded the best figures of his long career as he took 7 for 32 for Nottinghamshire against Lancashire who collapsed from 131 for 4 to 146 all out to give the visitors a first innings lead of 23. Notts added further runs to that for the loss of wickets to go into day three looking very healthy.

In the other first division fixture at Edgbaston, Ian Bell completed his brilliant hundred before rain ended the 2nd day of Warwickshire's match with Durham early. Indeed, only 22 overs were possible but was time enough for Bell to advance from 59 to 106 out of his side’s 195 for 7. That gives Warwickshire a current advantage of 32 runs on first innings.

In division 2. All the fun and games came courtesy of Yorkshire in Scarborough. Resuming on 329 for 5 in their first innings, they reached 447 with Jonny Bairstow and Antony McGrath taking their 6th wicket partnership to 159. Bairstow made 182 and McGrath 90. The latter then claimed three wickets as well as visitors Leicestershire collapsed to 68 for 8 before being bowled out.

Derbyshire also took control of their match with Gloucestershire. Having made 388 in their first innings, Derbyshire then reduced their opponents to 172 for 9 with Tony Palladino claiming figures of 5 for 47. Glos need a further 67 runs from their last pair to avoid the follow-on.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

First-class cricket returned to Old Trafford for the first time since Notts won the title there in September 2011 but this time the East Midlanders were ver much 2nd best on the opening day against Lancashire for whom Glen Chapple and Simon Kerrigan shared 8 wickets as the visitors were dismissed for just 169, their first innings batting troubles continuing except for Samit Patel who made 69. Lancashire replied with 48 for 1 to trail by 121 runs.

15 wickets fell in the big match at Edgbaston where Durham were bowled out for 163 with Keith Barker taking 5 for 33 and Chris Wright 4 for 41. Warwickshire, themselves, were in big trouble in reply on 14 for 4 but Ian bell found his form at last in making 59 not out under pressure to carry his side to 116 for 5, only 47 runs behind.

With Middlesex's match with Worcs starting on Thursday they were the only two games in the top division while in the 2nd Jonny Bairstow hit a brilliant 141 not out on the coast of Scarborough. Yorkshire recovered, thanks to Bairstow and captain Andrew Gale with 80, from 33 for 3 to 329 for 5 at the close against Leics.

Alviro Petersen was also amongst the runs. The South African returned to his former county Glamorgan with Essex and hit 145 out of his side's 259 for 9 declared. Only two other players reached double figures. Glamorgan survived the last three overs in which they scored one run in reply.

There was also a centurion in Derby where Wayne Madsen struck 101 out of his team’s 362 for 9, sharing in hundred stands along the way with Wes Durston and Dan Redfern…

..and three late wickets balanced things up in Northampton where the home side were dismissed for 218, losing their last 5 wickets for only 21 runs. Hampshire had 17 overs to survive at the end of the day but finished on 42 for 3 to go into day two trailing by 176 runs.
 

Warwickshire piled on the runs on day two at Hove as they hit 545 in their first innings, keeping Sussex out in the field for 153 overs. Jonathan Trott was eventually out for 178, having resumed on 132 while Tim Ambrose and Ricki Clarke both helped themselves to 70s. In reply Sussex lost two wickets in the final session to end the day on 57 for 2, a massive 488 runs behind. They need another 339 runs just to avoid the follow-on.

Play didn't get going until late in the day in Worcester and when it did, Nottinghamshire's Andre Adams took 4 for 23 to reduce Worcestershire to 72 for 6 in reply to the visitor's 243. Worcestershire need another 22 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Just 21 overs were possible in the morning at Taunton where Somerset fought back strongly against Lancashire. Resuming on 363 for 4, the Champions collapsed to 391 for 9 with Steven Croft unable to add to his overnight 113. Lancashire ended a short day on 395 for 9 with Vernon Philander taking 4 for 70.

Once again, there was no play in the first division match at the Kia Oval between Surrey and Durham nor did they make the field in division two in Bristol for the match between Glos and Glamorgan.

Northants' Jack Brooks celebrated his inclusion in the latest England Lions squad by taking 4 Essex wickets for just 22 in Chelmsford. The visitors made up for lost time after the game finally got underway after tea on the 2nd day and by the close they had reduced Essex to 54 for 6.

Michael Carberry was also included in that Lions squad and he struck an undefeated 73 as Hampshire replied to Leics’ 234 all out with 181 for 4 to trail by 53. Earlier, Liam Dawson had claimed his best Championship figures of 5 for 29.

And Brendon Nash bucked the trend in Canterbury. Plenty of batsmen had got in only to miss out on a big score until Nash, the former West Indian international, struck an undefeated 114 to earn his side a first innings lead thus far of 69 over Yorkshire. Kent ended the day on 316 for 6.

Don’t forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

Warwickshire, the early front-runners in the LV CC campaign, had another fine day at Hove thanks to Jonathan Trott who struck 21 fours in his typically classy undefeated 132 on his return to the county game. He arrived at the crease with his side in some trouble on 13 for 2 after Ian Bell had departed for a duck but he shared in a third wicket stand of 219 with Varun Chopra who stuck 105.

With Trott seeing out the day, Warwickshire made 281 for 5. 2nd placed Nottinghamshire managed to secure their first batting bonus point of the summer even tough non of their players could pass 50. They found the going tough as they were all out for 243 to which Worcestershire replied with 5 without loss by the close. Lancashire put their early season troubles behind them as Ashwell Prince and Steven Croft shared in a 4th wicket partnership of 208.

Prince departed for 96 but Croft secured his hundred and will go again just 9 short of his career-best on 113 not out with his side cantering to 363 for 4 against Somerset. Rain in the capital meant that there was no play in the game between Surrey and Durham nor in the 2nd division games between Essex and Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire versus Glamorgan. There was, however, a full day in Canterbury where Yorkshire were dismissed for 247 by Kent who replied with four without loss. All but one of the out Yorkshire batsmen made double figures but the top score was only 38.

And in Southampton, a late start was followed by Leics reaching 159 for 6 in their first innings. Hampshire's Liam Dawson took three late wickets including Greg Smith for 68.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

Warwickshire are hoping to go one better than last season when they ended as runners-up. They beat the current Champions Lancashire by 5 wickets in Liverpool for their 2nd win in two games. Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel took 5 wickets each as Lancashire, having started the final day on 44 for 4, were dismissed for 148. That set Warwickshire a target of 70 and after slipping to 52 for 5, they won by 5 wickets to go to the top of the LV CC table. It was the first time that Lancashire have lost their opening two matches since 1965. They are now at the bottom of the first division table.

Rain ruined two possible great finishes in London. Surrey, bowled out for 224 in their 2nd innings, set Worcs 246 to win in 70 overs. They had made 94 for 1 from 31 with Mike Klinger going really well on 69 when the rain arrived.

Durham looked nailed on to beat Middlesex at Lord's. Leading by 50 on first innings they then reduced the home side to 91 for 8. 40s from John Simpson and Tim Murtagh eventually got Middlesex to 179. That set Durham 130 from 45 overs but a shower came to leave them needing 122 from 16 overs. They had to settle with 82 for 6.

It was also a draw at Trent Bridge where more than half of the last day was lost to rain to help Nottinghamshire. They needed to bat the whole day to save the match and ended on 169 for 4 in the afternoon.

In the 2nd division no play was possible in Cardiff until 4.30 but that still left time for a thrilling finish. Hampshire needed 92 runs with 6 wickets remaining at the start of play. It was a nerve shredding conclusion but thanks to Sean Ervine's 75, Hampshire got home by two wickets to send Glamorgan to their third consecutive defeat.

Rain also ensured that the three other games petered out to draws. Derbyshire had been set 314 in 69 overs by Leics but finished on 91 without loss from 25.

Kent had been asked to chase an unlikely 363 runs from 73 overs to beat Glos. They reached 94 for 2 from 38 when that game was called off.

And Yorkshire were looking good in Leeds after reducing Essex to 26 for 2 in pursuit of 262 in 74 overs. Alas only 11 overs were possible because of the weather.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

19 wickets fell at the Kia Oval where Surrey were dismissed for 140 in their first innings before Stuart Meaker claimed a career-best 6 for 39 as he blew away Worcs for only 119. Leading by 21 runs, Surrey then slipped to 131 for 6 by the close with Alan Richardson taking his scalps in this match to 9. A positive result now looks possible in spite of all the rain with Surrey leading by 152 with four wickets remaining.

Batting was not much easier across London at Lord’s. Middlesex were dismissed for 188 in which Graham Onions took 6 for 45. Durham then eked out a first innings lead of 50 thanks to a last wicket stand of 44 between Onions and Scott Borthwick. Andrew Strauss was then out for 6 and Middlesex ended the day on 21 for 1, 29 runs behind.

Warwickshire recovered from 81 for 7 in reply to Lancashire's 250 in Liverpool. Ricki Clarke with 140 and Darren Maddy with 112, his first hundred for four years, then added 224 for the 8th wicket, just four runs short of an all time Warwickshire record. All out for 329, Warwickshire then made the most of their 79 run first innings advantage by reducing Lancashire to 44 for 4 with Keith Barker taking three of the wickets. The Champions are still 35 runs behind and are facing a 2nd successive defeat.

Nick Compton is undoubtedly the form batsman of the summer. He added to scores of 99 and 133 with a double hundred as Somerset made 445 for 2 declared in reply to Nottinghamshire's 162. It was actually Compton's 2nd double ton of the summer, having scored one in pre-season and he was helped by Arul Suppiah and James Hildreth who both hit hundreds to put their side in total control at Trent Bridge. Notts go into the last day on 47 without loss, still a massive 236 runs behind.

Into the 2nd division and in Leeds Ravi Bopara did his chances of being included in England's Test side now harm at all. He hit an unbeaten 117 out of his side's 199 all out. That gave Yorkshire a first innings lead over Essex of 47 and they had added a further 144 runs to that for the loss of two wickets by the close.

A result looks a certainty in Cardiff where Glamorgan's Ben Wright made 104 before his side collapsed from 210 for 4 to 256 all out to set Hampshire a target of 204 to win. They slipped to 67 for 4 but ended the day on 112 for 4, needing only 92 more runs for victory.

Wayne White claimed the best figures of his career against his former county Derbyshire. He took 5 for 54 to help bowl Derbyshire out for 180 for a first innings lead of 144. That had become 220 by the close with Leics ending on 76 for 1.

And Glos moved into a strong position in Canterbury against Kent. Will Gidman took 5 for 43 as kent were dismissed for 150 to trail on first innings by 105. Glos have scored 191 for 3 in their 2nd knock for a very handy lead of 296.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the 2nd day of the latest round of matches played on Friday, April 20.

The weather again played havoc but at least this time, there was play in all eight matches. In the first division, Andrew Strauss got a 2nd ball duck but Middlesex recovered from 28 for 4 to make 132 for 5 against Durham, Neil Dexter unbeaten on 65 in his first match since quitting the captaincy of the club.

Across London, Surrey slumped to 123 for 7 in what play there was at the Kia Oval. Alan Richardson again starred for visitors Worcs. For the 2nd successive game, he claimed a five-for, ending the day with 5 for 42.

Somerset's skipper, Marcus Trescothick injured his troublesome ankle and spent part of the day in hospital in Nottingham. His opposite number Chris Read had a better day, making 104 not out out of his side's 162. Peter Trego recorded his best figures for Somerset of 5 for 53 before the visitors replied with 78 for 1 to trail by only 84 runs.

Liverpool escaped the worst of the weather. Lancashire recovered from 127 for 6 to make 250 before their attack reduced Warwickshire to 68 for 5 by the close, that's 182 runs behind.

In the 2nd tier, Ramanersh Sarwan and Josh Cobb both scored 105 as Leics batted themselves into a good position in Derby. They shared in a 4th wickets stand of 141 as Leics made 318 for 7 in their first innings.

Phil Jakes was also amongst the runs on his return to Yorkshire as a non overseas player. He smashed 126 only to see his side slide from 203 for 3 to 246 all out. Essex struggled in reply though as the wickets kept tumbling. They will go again on day 3 on 72 for 5, 174 runs behind.

The wickets continued to fall, too, in Cardiff where Glamorgan’s Huw Waters recorded the best figures of his career, taking 7 for 53 as Hampshire were dismissed for 156. That gave them a first innings lead of 53 and they had the Welshmen 73 for 3 in their 2nd knock by the close.

And in Canterbury, Will Gidman's excellent run of form continued for Glos. He top scored with 56 in their first innings total of 255 before he claimed three Kent wickets to leave them in trouble on 119 for 6 at the halfway stage of their match. 

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the first day of the latest round of matches played on April 19.

For the first time this summer, the April weather got the better of the cricket. There was no play in two first division matches at Lord’s and the Kia Oval while Yorkshire were unable to get on the field against Essex.

Where there was play, the showers meant a stop start day. LV CC leaders, Nottinghamshire again struggled in the first innings of their match. Somerset made the most of the swinging ball at Trent Bridge where they reduced Notts to 93 for 6 with only Chris Read finding any touch with an unbeaten 52, made off 60 deliveries.

Champions Lancashire battled hard against the side they pipped to the title in September in Liverpool. Put in, Lancashire made 125 for 5 in the 55 overs that were possible in the north-west, Darren Maddy with two of the wickets.

In the 2nd division, only 65 balls were possible in Derby where neighbours, Leics made 24 for 1…

Matt Coles took 3 more wickets to reduce Glos to 131 for 6 in Canterbury where Glos debutant Benny Howell top scored with 44.

And Glamorgan's batting woes continued in Cardiff against Hampshire. Having taken 11 wickets in his first match of the season, Hampshire's David Balcombe took another 5 for 33. After some rain, Glamorgan tried to make the most of the bowler friendly conditions by declaring on 103 for 9 and they had Hampshire on 29 for 1 in reply by the close, that's 74 runs behind.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the final day of the latest round of matches played on April 15.

And what a dramatic day it was. At Lord's Surrey looked nailed on to record their 6th successive LV CC win and their 2nd of the season. Resuming on 95 for 4 needing only 46 runs to defeat Middlesex but they lost their last six wickets for only 36 runs to lose by just three runs having been bowled out for 137.

There was plenty of drama at Edgbaston, too, where Somerset claimed five Warwickshire wickets for only 17 runs to have the home side 8 down still 52 runs short of their target of 259. But the number 10, Jeetan Patel blasted an unbeaten 43 off only 36 balls to take his side home with two wickets in hand.

Nottinghamshire avoided such difficulties in Durham although they did allow Graham Onions and Mitch Claydon to put on 73 for the last wicket with Claydon securing his maiden first-class 50. Eventually, Durham were all out for 253 as Notts went to the top of the table with two wins out of two, this one by the margin on 114 runs.

There were yet more thrills to be had in the remaining 2nd division fixture in Southampton where Glos defeated Hampshire by 33 runs with just two overs remaining. Set 290 to win, the home side collapsed to 92 for 6 but 87 from Michael Bates and 65 from Chris Wood gave them hope before they were bowled out at the death for 256.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the 3rd day of the latest round of matches played on April 14.

Day 3 was enough for Lancashire lose the first match in the defence of their title by 10 wickets. For a while they looked as if they might turn their match with Sussex on its head but Sussex debutant, Steve Magoffin took 7 for 34 as the champions slipped from 137 for 4 to 176 all out leaving Sussex just one run to win.

All other three first division matches will have positive results unless the weather intervenes. Nottinghamshire need only one more wicket to comprehensively defeat Durham for their 2nd successive win. Bowled out for 335 with Michael Lumb making 131, Notts then reduced Durham to 203 for 9 in search of a victory target of 368. They played until 7 30 but couldn’t get the vital wicket in the last 7 overs.

Surrey, too, are also closing in on a second win from two matches. Jon Lewis took 5 for 41 at Lord’s as Middlesex were bowled out for 106 in their 2nd innings. Surrey, who had earlier been dismissed for 222 were now left with a target of 141. In spite of a bad start which saw them slip to 22 for 3, they ended the day on 95 for 4, needing a further 46 runs to win at Lord’s for the first time in 15 years.

There could yet be a thrilling conclusion to the match at Edgbaston where Somerset’s Nick Compton and Jos Buttler shared in a 6th wicket stand of 167. Compton made 133 and Buttler 93 as their side were dismissed for 354 to set Warwickshire 259 runs to win. They go into the final day needing a further 136 runs on 123 for 2, William Porterfield unbeaten on 57.

In the 2nd division, Derbyshire went top after they beat Glamorgan by 130 runs in Cardiff. It was a crazy day where Glamorgan lost 6 wickets for 1 run in 18 balls to be bowled out for 102 after being 86 for 2 at one stage. Jon Clare took 6 for 40 for incredible match figures of 11 for 57.

That was Glamorgan's 2nd successive defeat, something matched by Northants who were bowled out by Kent of 116 to lose by an innings and 120 runs. Matt Coles followed up his maiden first-class hundred in Kent’s last match with his best ever bowling figures of 6 for 51.

Rain meant that plenty of play was lost in the other match in Southampton where Hampshire were finally bowled out in the first innings by Gloucestershire for 199 with Will Gidman claiming 5 for 48. Gloucestershire led on first innings by 115 and added a further 129 to that for the loss of 5 wickets.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV CC daily round-up for the 2nd day of the latest round of matches played on April 13.

The LV CC season may only be into its 2nd week but already there have been some fine performances from the bowlers none more so than David Balcombe for Hampshire. He took 8 for 71 in Gloucestershire first innings for whom Chris Dent also hit a career-best 114. Replying to Glos' 314, Hampshire struggled with Will Gidman and Ian Saxelby reducing them to 182 for 7 by the close to trail by 132.

Elsewhere in the 2nd division, Derbyshire’s Jonathan Clare took 5 for 17 as Glamorgan collapsed to 95 all out in Cardiff. Derbyshire, leading by 35 on first innings, were then reduced to 37 for 5 before Clare and David Wainwright helped them to 152 for 6 by the close to lead by 187.

Northants' early season troubles continued. Mike Powell scored 128 not out for Kent whose 368 gave them a first innings lead of 236. An innings victory looked a certainty as Northants collapsed again to 25 for 4 in their 2nd innings, rallying a touch at the end to finish the day on 50 for 4, still 186 runs adrift.

Up into the first division and Champions Lancashire appear to be heading for defeat in the first game of their title defence. Sussex skipper, Michael Yardy, made 110 to help his side to 300 for a first innings advantage of 176. Steve Magoffin then claimed three early wickets to reduce Lancashire to 85 for 4 in their 2nd innings. They still trail by 91.

Michael Lumb made an unbeaten 104 as Nottinghamshire took control of their match in Durham in spite of being dismissed first time around for only 161. Durham could only muster 129 in reply to give Notts a lead of 32 and thanks to Lumb they added a further 231 to that for the loss of only four 2nd innings wickets.

Honours are still just about even at Edgbaston where Warwickshire made 243 in their first innings to lead by 96. Nick Compton then made an undefeated 61 to put Somerset back ahead but by the close of day 2 they had lost four wickets with 127 runs on the board to lead by 31.

And at Lord's a real battle is taking place between London rivals Middlesex and Surrey. Thanks to Dawid Malan’s 88, Middlesex made 256 in their first innings with Surrey, after a good start, replying with 161 for 5. That gives the home side a lead of 95 at the halfway stage.

Don't forget that you can get the latest LV CC news, scores, audio and video highlights at www.ecb.co.uk/lvcc.

This is the LV= County Championship daily roundup for the first day of the latest round of matches played on April 12th.

With some rain around, it was also raining wickets across the country. 13 fell in Liverpool where the 2011 champions Lancashire made a poor start to the defence of their title. They were bowled out for just 124 by Sussex, for who James Anyon claimed his second successive five wicket haul taking 5 for 36.

Sussex then slipped at 15 for 3 in reply only for Michael Yardy, with 70 and Ed Joyce with 48 to add an undefeated 122 for the fourth wicket to give Sussex a day one lead of 13 with 7 wickets in hand. They ended on 137 for 3.

There were 13 more wickets at Edgbaston where Marcus Trescothick's decision to bat first backfired. Somerset were all out for 147 before last seasons' runners up, Warwickshire replied with 111 for 3 to trail by just 36.

And 13 wickets also fell in Durham where for the second match in succession, Nottinghamshire were bowled out cheaply in their first innings. Only James Taylor hit the 30s as the visitors were dismissed for 161. Durham didn't fare much better in reply as they lost three early wickets to end the day on 55 for 3, to trail by 106.

Surrey just about shaded things in the London Derby at Lords. Dawid Malan lead a Middlesex recovery from 129 for 7 at one point, to finish the day on 225 for 9; with Malan top scoring with an undefeated 62.

Conditions were no less bowler friendly in the second division of the LV= County Championship. 13 was again the magic number here in Northampton, the hosts could only muster 132 before Kent replied with 127 for 3 - meaning that they go into day two just five runs adrift, with Brendan Nash at the crease on 40.

There were 14 more dismissals at Cardiff, where Graham Wagg enjoyed taking on his former county Derbyshire. The left-armer took 6 for 44 as Derbyshire were dismissed for 130. Again though, batting was no less difficult later in the day as the visitors hit back by reducing Glamorgan to 37 for 4 and that means they still trail by 93.

The only place where wickets didn't fall was in Southampton as Hampshire's second division season got underway. Gloucestershire opener Chris Dent batted for nearly four and a half hours in making 59 not out. And with Ian Cockbain scoring a slightly quicker unbeaten 52, Gloucestershire ended a shortened first day on 195 for 4.