Hampshire tumbled towards an innings defeat against
Yorkshire at Headingley, after being made to follow-on thanks to Matthew Hoggard's first-innings haul of 6 for 57. With five wickets to his name overnight, Hoggard removed Nic Pothas with his first ball of the morning, to finish with 6 for 57, his best figures for Yorkshire for five year. The tailenders were shared around among his team-mates as Hampshire succumbed for 159, a deficit of 239, and second-time around they fared little better. By the close Tim Bresnan and Anthony McGrath had grabbed two wickets apiece, with Michael Brown battling hard on 58 not out, out of a total of 136 for 4.
No play was possible on the third day of
Somerset's match against
Lancashire at Old Trafford. Lancashire still trail by 17 runs in their first innings with one wicket remaining.
Durham snuck into the ascendancy in a low-scoring affair against Surrey on the third day at Chester-le-Street, after securing a precious first-innings lead of 41. Graham Onions added to his three-wicket overnight haul by bowling the dangerous Usman Afzaal with his fourth ball of the day, before Chris Jordan was sold a dummy by his partner, Ali Brown, and run out without facing a ball. Brown made partial amends with a solid 38 before becoming Steve Harmison's only victim of the innings. Second-time around, Durham reached 76 for 2 by the close, with a wicket apiece for Saqlain Mushtaq and James Ormond.
Click here for the third day's bulletin from Hove where
Sussex took on
Kent.
Essex had to make do without their South African strike bowler, Andre Nel, for much of the third day against
Derbyshire at Derby, but they still managed to take the upper hand on another rain-interrupted day. After resuming on 64 for 1 overnight, Derby were bowled out for 239, a deficit of 31, shortly before bad light brought about an early close. John Sadler top-scored with 49, but no-one was able to build a substantial innings as all six of Essex's bowlers chipped in with a wicket. Nel, who suffered a thigh strain after two overs in the morning, reappeared for a brief burst after tea and claimed the wicket of Tom Lungley.
Click here for a bulletin from the third day's play at Lord's where
Middlesex took control against
Glamorgan.
Worcestershire's Aussie import, Steve Magoffin, claimed three wickets on his home debut
at New Road to reduce
Leicestershire to 170 for 7 after Vikram Solanki, making up time following a near-washout on the second day, had declared on 300 for 8. Magoffin bowled Matthew Boyce for 6 to claim the early momentum, and only HD Ackerman, with 46, was able to provide much resistance. Kabir Ali chipped in with two middle-order wickets, including the 18-year-old James Taylor, who was making his first-class debut.
Neil Carter and Ian Salisbury made 47 and 54 not out respectively in an eighth-wicekt stand of 82, to lift
Warwickshire from their overnight 129 for 7 to a respectable 243, but by the close
Northamptonshire had reasserted their supremacy
at Wantage Road. Building on an impressive first innings of 385, Stephen Peters launched their second effort with 59 from 115 balls, and David Sales made a blistering 47 from 29, 44 of which came in boundaries. Lee Daggett kept Warwickshire in the hunt with three top-order wickets, but at stumps they trailed by 312 runs, and can expect to be set a stiff target on the final day.