Already dusk is falling here at OT, but not yet, surely, on Somerset’s title hopes. Belt up for tomorrow, things could be spicy on this friendly hybrid pitch. Thanks for your company as always, and have a lovely evening.

Time for me to start writing up for the paper, with the third innings underway at Old Trafford, but Surrey looking at ease at The Oval, already 51-0, 40 of them to Rory Burns. Title odds sliding further towards south London.

Please do chat on BTL – still ten overs left, at least at sunny OT.

Everyone is ready at Old Trafford, but the roller is not. It slowly potters off the pitch. And here we go. Coverton with the new ball from the James Anderson end. Bright sunshine. Long shadows.

No bang-crash for Coverton. Done by a magic Bailey slower-ball and left as bemused as that fairytale giant who believed a boy was squeezing water out of a rock -(it was cheese) Somerset 121-8, trail by 19. Actually, make that Somerset 123-9 , trail by 17, as Bailey takes two in three, and now has four for 29.

Durham are all out for 262 with Ackermann, criminally, stranded on 78 . Worrall 4-39. Can Durham’s fledgling bowlers help Somerset out here?

And just as Somerset look to be nosing in front, Lancashire see off Tom Abell as Tom Bailey seams one away. Somerset 117-7, 23 behind, and there are still 19 overs left today….

Essex have inched to a 43 run lead at Edgbaston, thanks to thirties from Westley, Critchley and Pepper.

Down in Division Two, George Hill (64 not out) and Dom Bess (just lbw to Crane for 50) added 102 after a mid-innings wobble for Yorkshire, now 305-6.

At Bristol, Sussex have lost their top three, but are already only 17 short of Gloucestershire’s first innings.

A duck for Robson at the County Ground, but fifty for Stoneman and spadework by Holden have taken Middx to 80-1.

And after Chahal and Keogh dismissed Leicestershire for 203, Northants are 80-2 in reply.

George Balderson starting to ruin Somerset’s day here at OT, with a fourth wicket, as Aldridge loses his off stump pushing forward to a peach. Somerset 84-6 and in need of a hefty heave-ho from Craig Overton for parity.

At OT, a fifth – Rew for four, a third for Balderson. From the empty seats of the party stand, a blank stare, from the scattering of people in the other seats, enjoying the sun during their last home game of the season, sudden and unexpected enthusiasm. Somerset 82-5, still 58 behind.

At The Oval, Durham need another 27 to squeeze a batting point out of Surrey. Those Curran brothers are only playing their second Championship games of the summer, but chipping into the Surrey pot with three wickets between them.

Saqib Mahmood mystery over – he’s been added to England’s ODI squad.

Oh Somerset. Oh Lancashire! Three west country wickets have tumbled for five runs in 13 balls. They take tea, as TKC trudges off looking accusingly at his bat. Somerset 65-4.

Here at the Oval, the Surrey fans are fretting about how fast Somerset are racing ahead against Lancashire. Their own side are finding it slower going against Durham this afternoon. They did have the visitors 134 for five at one point, when David Bedingham was caught behind for 37 off Tom Lawes, but then Bas de Leede and Colin Ackerman put on 70 together for the sixth wicket. De Leede’s just out, but Ackerman is still going and closing in on his 50. It’s an odd sort of side Surrey have put out, with six quicks in the eleven. They had 26-year-old South African Conor McKerr on as fourth change. He was given all of two overs, which went for 22, and then yanked back out of the attack again. It does make you wonder exactly why they sent their off-spinner Amar Virdi away on loan for the end of the season. Virdi’s already bowled 22 overs for Worcestershire today, and taken two for 64. It would be a dereliction of duty, too, if I didn’t also report that the press lunch here was a ballotine of guinea fowl, maybe they should take some of the resources out of the catering department and put them into their spin coaching programme.

Is that the air already escaping the balloons? Two quick wickets here at OT. Both Lammonby and Vaughan gone, after doing the hard graft. Somerset 60-3, still 80 behind.

Derbyshire are bowled out for 173, and TRJ finishes with 5-34. Now with 47 wickets, he just pips Jack Carson (45) as Div Two’s leading wicket-taker.

As tea floats on the horizon, steady as she goes here at OT, unobtrusive compilation by Vaughan and Lammonby. After three maidens on the bounce, Somerset have moved on to 47-1.

In the other big Div One game at The Oval, De Leede and Ackermann have scratched Durham up past 200 – but Tom Curran has winkled de Leede out for 36. Durham 204-5 including 19 extras, which seems a little flamboyant.

Have just clocked that Amar Virdi is bowling for Worcestershire (2-58) – a loan deal for the last four games of the season. He last played for Surrey in the Championship back in 2021, feels like time he tried pastures new.

At Edgbaston, 15 wickets have now fallen for 136 runs. Essex 58-5, still trail by 20. Can Critchley and Pepper haul them up to three figures?

Here, in the OT sunshine, Lammonby and young Vaughan are slowly pressing away the daemons. Somerset 40-1, trail by 100.

In Division Two, the top two are swinging along happily. Sussex have dismissed morning-after-the-Saturday-before Gloucestershire for 109. Four for Unadkat, three each for Robinson and Clark.

Yorkshire are 183-3 against Glamorgan, actually make that four, YJB a third wicket for Gorvin. Wharton 60 not out.

Northants plugging away against Leics, who are 182-7. A lone fifty for Sol Budinger. And Middlesex’s TRJ in the wickets again, 5-34, Derbys 143-8.

And Umeed lasts just the one ball. Bailey the bowler, Jennings the hands. Somerset 0-1.

In Division One, Surrey are pawing the Oval ground. They’ve just dismissed Bedingham and Robinson – Durham 134-5.

Gubbins is still batting at Southampton, 63 not out – Hants 158-3; while Lancs have just been dismissed for 140- four each for Coverton and Gregory.

Notts are havinga ball at Canterbury, Slater has already pocketed the first hundred of the round, 107 at a rapid fox trot, HH 55 not out. Notts 189-0 and accumulating swiftly. At the other end of the scale, Warwickshire have been dismissed for 78 -Snater 5-13, and Essex are already 41-2.

This is a nice, if sad, interview with George Scrimshaw.

Oh and Lancs have lost a ninth, a third for Gregory. Philip trudges back. This is a bit like watching an excruciating comedy where no-one is laughing at any of the lines. Lancs 123-9. We do of course still have to see what Somerset’s batters make of the pitch.

Paul Edwards pipes up: “Lancashire last collected a batting bonus point on July 1.”

Anyway, time to shimmy around the rest of the grounds.

Walk around the ground to get a coffee and decide to sit in the (very pleasant) sun for a slurp or five. Sadly, it does nothing for Lancashire’s fortunes, who lose Hust and Wells in a couple of overs– and Singh follows shortly afterwards. It’s a quiet day and the clank of the departing batsmen’s studs on the metal stairs ,to be greeted by an empty balcony is a monochrone contrast to the joyful, chattering Somerset fielders – four slips still in position (thanks for noticing Ken) in the 33rd over. Oh, and there goes another – Balderson gobbled up b Coverton in the slips. Lancs 115-8.

At OT, time for some quorn chilli. Lunchtime scores on the way.

Elsewhere in Division One: Kent aren’t doing Lancashire any favours – Nottinghamshire 126-0 at generously over four an over; Gay’s Durham debut was a damp squib at The Oval – a 12-ball duck. Beddingham and Robinson rebuilding, Durham 84-3.

After a couple of early wickets for Tom Taylor, Hampshire are looking comfortable at 105-2 v Worcs. Vince and Gubbins with the trowel and mortar.

And what a pickle at Edgbaston – Warwickshire in a September pit at 73-7 v Essex, three for Snater, two each for Cook and Porter.

An enthusiastic round of applause for Keaton Jennings, a bottom edge, for a plucky 56 and a thousand runs in his pocket. Lancs 85-4, a second for Aldridge.

Flintoff gets an inside edge and his stumps explode like a stamped on packet of cheese and onion. Lancs 72-3.

Asks Gary Naylor:

“This is a pretty crucial match at both ends of the table, so it’s disappointing that Lancashire are missing 16 of their 26 players listed in the First XI squad on the website. Is this the record for this round? I feel that accusations of the competition becoming a Second XI tournament are not supported by the evidence, but my arguments are weakening with every passing week.”

I just had a flick through the yearbook – Anderson, Livingstone, Salt with England. Buttler injured. Lyon gone home. Luke Wood at the Zim T10 (thank you lancashireexpat) Others out of form. Saqib Mahmood? Things do seem a bit awry on the good ship Lancashire.

Time to go around the grounds.

Morning from The Oval, Tanya, it’s a lovely late summer day here and Durham, put into bat, are fifty without loss. Alex Lees, who has taken over the captaincy, just scored his 5,000th first class run for the club, and earned some warm applause for it. He was out a moment or so later, clean bowled leaving a delivery from Sam Curran, only it turned out to be a no ball. Durham have managed to get Northamptonshire’s Emilio Gay into the team, too. He wasn’t supposed to join them till next season, but has started early. Which gives them a pretty formidable looking batting line up. Their bowling is awfully raw though, with a 16-year-old kid called James Minto making his debut, alongside 19-year-old Daniel Hogg. Oh, Dan Worral’s just had Ben McKinney caught behind, so here comes Gay for his debut now …

It turns out that we have a correspondent at The Oval – hello there Andy Bull!

And in case anyone missed the last round, here is Tom Davies’ cracking coverage of the denouement

County cricket: Somerset pull off dramatic win over Surr

Jennings and Flintoff holding up Somerset here as we head into the second hour. Jennings sends Gregory for two successive fours. Flintoff, cutting the paperclip figure you’d expect of a 16 year old, a patient 0 from 15 balls. And make that a third four of the over. Now a fourth. Lancs 59-2.

This was probably covered in the last round but, if you want to read up on the big bat controversy, this is your website – The Cricket Regulator - complete with diagrams of bat gauges and more.

And Bohannon must walk off, John Wayne style, a second for Overton. Enter young Flintoff. Lancs 41-2.

And Warwickshire are also flailing around, Yates, Davies and Hain back in the pavilion with just 27 on the board. Porter and Cook the ammunition men.

And Overton strikes, Singh pushes forwards and is caught by Lammonby in the bread basket. Lancs 21-1.

Lancs have survived the first 10 minutes from Craig Overton and Randell, and their teammates all clad in regulation cap and cable-knit jumper.

Elsewhere, Warwickshire have lost an early wicket, Yates for five to the inevitable Porter; and Glos have been brought back to earth sharply, 1-1, Joe PHillips gone to the ninth ball of the day.