Quite the shellacking for Surrey, which makes everything a lot more interesting! Chucking it down here at OT and time to go. We’ll be back tomorrow for the last day of Championship cricket for a while. Have a lovely evening.

And they’re off at Old Trafford, the hover cover floats over the square and the heavy sheets are being pinned out. Lancs 96-3.

Elsewhere, Surrey are eight down and taking a proper pounding, Kent are 362-7, three for Critchley, Finch 78 not out; and Ryan Higgins keeping Middlesex sound with 70 not out in Middx 310-4, 242 behind.

Time for me to write up for the paper, but do keep chatting BTL.

Make that seven down at Southampton

A tasty start to the over for Warwickshire: five as the ball hits the helmet, four as Barnard cuts Lyon through the off side, then four byes.

And Surrey are six down and sliding quickly , still 348 behind Hampshire. Foakes still there on a stonewalling eleven, Lawrence gone for 42 (Organ again) and Steel caught off Dawson for 9.

The OT groundsmen are lying on the ground holding onto the covers as lighting flashes in the distance and thunder rumbles. But Morley continues.

Did a turn of the ground, a filthy cloud has floated to pretty much just above the pitch. Since tea, Morley has picked up Rhodes for five. Barnard sweeps Morley for six and soon afterwards is dropped, not easy, by the same bowler.

“Apologies for my email account being hacked by Fridaylongshots earlier - I won’t let it happen again.”

Hello Brian Withington!

”However, I do have a small bone to pick. In listing Jake Lintott’s illustrious former clubs, how on earth could you have neglected his stint at Knowle & Dorridge in 2022? There will be mutterings of discontent down Station Road tonight if this is not rectified.”

I was not aware of what you speak.

Time for a quick cuppa, back shortly.

And Lyon strikes! Davies bowled off a ripper off the inside edge, and drags his body slowly off the pitch. Warwickshire 24-2.

Meanwhile interesting events have happened at Southampton, where Felix Organ has taken three wickets and Surrey are four down. Burns, Sibley, Pope and Smith all gone. Ben Foakes has dropped anchor (3 off 34) but Dan Lawrence flaying away, (31 off 27).

Leicestershire have declared, 44 runs in arears.

And here at Old Trafford, Keaton Jennings whistles for Nathan Lyon, as George Bell pads up at short leg. In Lyon rolls, from the James Anderson end: pure temptation.. Warwicks 23-1, Davies still there.

George Balderson had Yates caught off a beauty for five in the fourth over.

In Division Two, it is raining at Bristol – where they haven’t come on since lunch.

At Grace Road, there have been four wickets for Timm van der Gugten, but Leicestershire are holding on , trail Glamrgan by 49 with two wickets in hand. Currie, fresh from his five-fer, 45 not out.

A couple of wickets have fallen at Lord’s, one to Carson, one to Seales, but Robson has reached his hundred! 104 not out in Middx’s 216-3.

Despite a scare after being hit on the hand, Shan Masood has his second fifty of the match, now 81 not out. Yorks 154-5, lead Northants by 215.

“Hello Tanya,” nice of you to drop by Andrew Benton!

“Reading your dropped catch note I was forced back into my youth, where I remember in the Beano such a drop would have resulted in the unfortunate dropper being referred to as a ‘butterfingers’. In the Bash Street Kids, especially. Those were the days.”

I fear “Butter-fingers” may have been put to bed permanently alongside “my sainted aunt”

On walk the man with the brush, the man with the bucket, the man with the painbrush and the man with the roller. Off walk a very happy Warwickshire. Hurst and Morley sprint off the field, after Morley is lbw attempting a sweep. Three wickets to Lintott, four for Bethell, and a Warwickshire first-innings lead of 135.

Bethell and Lintott, 7-30 between them.

Get sucked into a Jacob Lintott wormhole – he’s had spells with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Fortune Barishal (BPL), Samp Army (Abu Dhabi T10), Bangla Tigers, Desert Vipers (ILT20), Gloucestershire, Somerset second XI, Barbados Royals, Dorset, Hampshire and Southern Brave as well as Birmingham Bears and Warwickshire. Here at OT, a towel hanging out of his back pocket, he spins the ball from hand to hand and bowls, a bouncy, whirling action.

With Lancashire in trouble at 141-8, let us wander around the grounds.

Surrey, set their grand task, have lost Rory Burns for 17, caught off Keith Barker. Enter Ollie Pope who has 11,11,13,44,13, 63 and 1 to his name this season. Currently 9 not out.

In spite of Parkinson’s wicket, Joe Denly is leading Kent’s fightback with gumption, 66 not out. Still trail Essex by 352 mind, five down.

And there goes Lancashire’s ninth wicket, a sensational goal-keeping catch in the slips by Rhodes off Lintott – a left-arm leggie.

And at New Road, where there has been no play yet today, there will be a further inspection at 3 o’clock.

The good news: Lancashire have avoided the follow on; the bad news: Bailey had a wacky dance and swing and has been stumped off Bethell (4-10) . He strides off, like a walking beanpole.

Before today, Bethell’s fc bowling record read 2 wickets for 421.

Oooof a dropped catch at Southampton, where Burns and Sibley are attempting to put the game to sleep. Sibley dropped at second slip.

And at Canterbury, Matt Parkinson has failed to reach his first f-c fifty, lbw to Jamie Porter for 48. Still, a nice little career best to pin to the cable knit. Kent 217-5.

And it only takes five balls for Warwickshire to strike, Aspinwall has a dirty swipe at Bethell and Davies collects at mid off. Lancs 124-7; Bethell three for nine.

The players return to the field after lunch at OT, quite balmy now actually, with the ground in transition for the Blast, which kicks off here against Durham on Thursday. Red railings and food concession vans dotted around the concourse. Aspinwall and Hurst with a lot to do.

A big wicket at Old Trafford, just before they took their lunch – Jennings, lbw for a 139-ball 36. Warwickshire have their teeth into this now. Three for OHD, two, including Jennings, for Bethell.

And, belatedly on here, the realisation that Sam Cook hasn’t been on the field all morning at Canterbury – after limping off the field injured yesterday.

In the women’s ODI at Leeds, it is wet. Inspection at 1.15 – Jim Wallace keeping a close eye on events.

Two ducks in a funny looking Yorkshire scorecard – Leach last night and Bean this morning. Yorks 43-2, lead Northants by 104. Masood settling in for bed and breakfast. And they’ve taken an early lunch at Northampton. Early lunches at Bristol and Grace Road too.

Someone pretending to be Brian Withington has emailed:

“Can I echo your wise sentiments regarding Finley Bean, namely

‘There’s only so much a nightwatchman can do.’

Please can you hold this thought, magnify mightily and then send in the direction of Canterbury where a certain Matt Parkinson (formerly of the parish of Old Trafford) is clearly exceeding the terms of his job description.

A simple ATL observation like

“ At Canterbury Matt Parkinson looks like batting all day”

should suffice.

Thank you in advance.”

I’m not sure I should intercede on demand – but how about: Parky M is doing unexpectedly well in the face of Simon Harmer, currently 27 not out off 115 balls. Kent 168-4, still 419 behind.

Jennings continuing to provide ballast for Lancashire, while at the other end people come and go. Bruce the next cab off and back onto the rank, bowled for three, a third for OHD. Lancs 99-4.

At Southampton, Hampshire approach 600, as Ben Brown collects 150. His old team Sussex are struggling to make a breakthrough at Lord’s – Ollie Robinson (that one) 15 overs in but no reward since yesterday.

There’s only so much a nightwatchman can do. Finley Bean, protectively demoted to No3 last night, has been caught behind off Ben Sanderson for a duck. Yorkshire are 8 for 2, a lead of 69 against Northants.

Ben Brown has reached a fine hundred against Surrey, whose collective throat has a foot on it. Hampshire are 513 for four, a lead of 386.

Hello Mike Davies at Grace Road!

“Break in the weather here and the ground staff are busy mopping up and working to get the ground ready. Won’t start on time.

“Players are starting to do warm ups.

“Got to say, the ground staff across the country have been the heroes of this first party of the CC season for me. Herculean efforts week after week.”

Very well said.

And, in the end, Keaton Jennings will have to wait to resume his tortoise-like innings, as the OT rain starts bang on 11 o’clock.

I stand corrected, rain hasn’t yet reached Old Trafford, due to start at 11am! This was Alex Davies, ex Lancs, now Warwickshire captain, last night:

“It was very satisfying but I’ve never had to work as hard as that and to face that amount of balls but I had to grind it out.

“Because the pitch was turgid it was difficult to score when the bowlers bowled straight. But it was nice for me to show that I can grind out a score when I have to when the situation and when the team requires it.

“I think the score we got is a good score, it’s disappointing that we couldn’t get 300 but we lost our last three wickets very quickly and I think it’s an above par score.

“We comeback tomorrow and we could have them 100 for six and we’ve got four spinners and we’ll rotate them from one end.”

Now hosing it down in Manchester and at Grace Road and no play before lunch at New Road.

Paul Edwards was at New Road yesterday:

Jofra and Jos on the charge:

Ali has a thoughtful coffee with outgoing PCA chief Rob Lynch.( I don’t want The Ashes to become like the Ryder Cup.)