County cricket: Lancashire rout Somerset, Glamorgan v Gloucestershire – live!

RRT below the line informs me that they’ve called stumps at Derby, where Kent have been thrashing the locals; and The Oval, where Essex have been thrashing the locals; as well as Leicester, where Sussex and the locals have been undecided about who is thrashing who.

The latter match should be a draw tomorrow, the other two might yet force a result if there’s play.

Still no play in London, Leeds, or the Midlands, comprising six matches. The match in Taunton has finished, while in Cardiff the team from over the water at Bristol grind on in the second innings, making it look increasingly likely that will be a draw.

Hampshire really is our best bet for entertainment today, which is… I’ll leave the rest of the sentence to you.

They’re all out for 178, as the spinner Patterson-White gets a third wicket with James Fuller caught behind for 21. Mohammad Abbas did his job at No11 by facing out 17 balls without scoring to support Fuller. Should be a tough chase given all we’ve seen in this match.

Goodness me. Some below the line adapts some Elton John lyrics earlier today, and in the space of a few rain breaks, James Walsh has made it flesh. You’re all far too productive. (Yes, I consider that productive.)

“I saw mesnilman’s excellent Tim Bresnan lyrics below the line so I had a word with Elton John’s Pontefract cousin and got this new single released.”

This is Bowling Inta’ Wind

Hampshire are back! We have another match to think about. They resumed against top-placed Notts with Barker on 11 and Wheal on 1. The latter got stumped for 3, not very useful. Barker made 29, more useful. Liam Patterson-White got both wickets. Now they’re 175 for 9, hoping to eke out a few more for their lead of 246.

The exciting* news is that Gloucestershire’s lead is now up to 20 runs over Glamorgan. They’re 328 for 8.

Riddle me this. Why does the ECB website with the county scores keep insisting that they’re 328 for 7? It has Chris Dent, the opener, listed as 75 not out, while two other players are batting. Other websites have him listed as lbw for 75. But he was clean bowled by Andrew Salter. I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. He played a lap sweep and got bowled behind his legs. This is confusing, mandala effect, different timeline stuff.

Lunch happened, but with only two matches being played and then one of them finishing, it didn’t really seem like an event worth publishing. Rain. Apparently it’s useful for some things?

Easy done in the end, after Tom Lammonby gave them a scare with his hundred after following on yesterday. 32 without loss. Balderson took four wickets for the match and is 10 not out opening the batting. Davies, of the Alex variety, flicks the winning brace away to finish with 22 not out.

Lancs will get 16 points for the win, 4 bonus points for batting, 3 for bowling. So as best I can tell, they’ve right at the moment jumped from sixth spot to second in Division 1, on 43 points.

Gloucestershire take the lead, but Ben Charlesworth is out. He made an important 44 but can’t go on. They’re 311 for 8, leading Glamorgan by 3 runs on the first innings.

Ned Leonard made 6, Steven Davies was 22 not out, and Lancashire will need 32 to win. Tricky little chase!

Balderson knocks over Brooks! Decks back in off the seam, hits the pad and deflects back onto the stumps. Brooks made 15, only one Somerset player did better than that in the first innings. Second time around, they’re 301 for 9 with Ned Leonard, Human Torpedo, coming out.

A couple of boundaries from Davies and Brooks, and Somerset lead by 18. Tricky little chase?

Gloucestershire chipping away, getting the first innings deficit down to 19. They’re 289 for 7.

Lancashire made them follow on, and now Somerset have ensured that Lancs will at least have to chase… three runs. Can we say “tricky little chase” yet? Lancs should have had a wicket, though, because the lead comes via an outside edge from the No10 Jack Brooks, nicking Balderson between first and second slip for four. Wells and Jones each left it for the other one, and watched it sail between them. Somerset 287 for 8.

Glamorgan snag another wicket as well. Zafar Gohar caught off the bowling of Michael Hogan for 5. Gloucestershire 280 for 7, currently 28 runs behind on the first innings.

Another one! Marchant de Lange hangs back and pokes at Blatherwick, caught at second slip for a duck from his second ball. Somerset 280 for 8, trailing by 4.

Roelof van der Merwe has been playing one way this morning, and he falls the same way. Aims a big drive when Balderson pitches up. There’s a bit of movement for Balderson, he beat Davies earlier in the same over. Does for the Dutchman, thick outside edge at head height to first slip, where Luke Wells gets high and holds on.

Somerset 279 for 7, still behind Lancashire by 4 runs.

The arm wrestle continues at Cardiff. Glamorgan dislodge Ben Wells for 40, caught off the bowling of Timm van der Gugten. So Glos are 272 for 6, behind by 36 runs on the first innings.

Somerset 271 for 6 – the deficit is down to 12, with van der Merwe on 20 and Davies on 3.

Another wicket at Somerset! Goldsworthy is out, lbw Tom Bailey for 21. Roelef van de Merwe has come out and decided to race the deficit, clouting 15 off 12 to cut the gap to 19. They’re 264 for 6.

It’s not raining at Hampshire but they’re saying no play before lunch.

The curse of the overnight wicket. Graeme van Buuren is out for Gloucestershire, having made 65. Trapped by the new-look David Lloyd. So they’re 250 for 5 with the two Bens, Wells and Charlesworth, building a stand. Behind Glamorgan by 58 runs.

James Hildreth was out quickly this morning, for Somerset. That means they either need 50 more runs from their bottom six or they’ll lose by an innings.

It’s raining in London, a lot. Two matches there that won’t be happening for a while. Apparently it’s raining in Leeds, too, so that’s another one taken care of.

It’s definitely raining at Derby, because I’m watching the live stream of it raining at Derby. (Go into journalism, they said, you can change the world.)

It’s either raining in Leicester, or the two players with unbeaten hundreds overnight have started very cautiously.

And if it’s raining in Derby and Leicester then it’s a safe bet that it’s raining in Northampton.

The covers are off in Southampton and they’re having a look. There’s play in Taunton. And there’s play in Cardiff. Huzzah.

If it doesn’t rain, that is…

Hampshire are 133 for 7 in the third dig, 204 runs ahead after taking a lead on the first innings. Keith Barker, hero of yesterday with seven wickets for Hampshire, could be hero of today with the bat when resuming on 11.

Yorkshire are 50 for 3, Gary Ballance on 21, and he needs to marshal another 173 to win. Warwickshire are favourites given that 33 wickets have gone in two days.

Somerset are 226 for 4 after following on, James Hildreth on 22 by the close. They’re 57 behind Lancashire and still some chance to set a target.

Surrey are 107 for 7 at the close in their first innings. Hashim Amla is still there, on 59. Essex lead by 332 after making 439.

Gloucestershire replied with 224 for 4 after Glamorgan made 308 first up. Graeme van Buuren will start on 65, Ben Wells on 23, scoring at a decent rate.

Northamptonshire are 10 for no loss at the end of play, after making 183 in the first innings. In the intervening innings, Durham made 400 all out. That means 207 more to avoid an innings loss.

Middlesex are 206 runs in front in the third innings, with four wickets in hand. Simpson on 59 and Hollman on 40 will try to build the lead over Worcestershire tomorrow.

Leicestershire are 291 for 2, and poised to go past Sussex’s 359 tomorrow. Hasan Azad to resume on 122, Lewis Hill on 109.

Kent are cruising at 147 for 1, adding to a first-innings lead of 138 after bowling out Derbyshire for 156. Grant Stewart took 5 for 23 in that effort. So the overall lead is 285.

Good morning and other times of day to all. Day three of the penultimate county round, but I’m being told that it’s lashing down rain in many parts of the lovely British Isles, so I’m not sure how much play we’ll get. Here in Melbourne, Australia, it was sunny and pleasant today with a slight chill to the air.

As ever, enjoy yourselves below the line in the comments, or drop me an email if you feel so inclined.