LV County Championship 2012: Saturday, April 14

...with results and excellent cricket throughout the land. Reports are available from all the County Championship matches and we shall see you back at 10.30am tomorrow for the conclusion to round two. Some fascinating encounters still to be resolved. Stay classy...

What price Andre Adams completing a hat-trick of Nottinghamshire player of the year awards after he took the prize in 2010 and 2011? His swing bowling brought 67 wickets last season, only one fewer than 2010, and he has three of the first six Durham wickets to fall as Notts hunt a three-day win.

Durham have looked at a victory target of 368 and gulped. Six wickets have fallen by the 26th over and Michael Lumb’s second-day century looks more impressive by the minute.

Adams, coming on as first change, struck with the third and fifth ball of his first over. Will Smith, who was persuaded to resign as Durham captain two years ago after a defeat against Notts at Trent Bridge, fell lbw and two balls later Mark Stoneman edged to third slip. He struck the stumps for his third wicket, an excellent delivery to bowl Ben Stokes and interrupt the attentive gaze of the Test selector James Whitaker.

Whitaker, incidentally, is viewed by many as the inventor of the huddle. It came into being when he was Leicestershire captain during a particularly chilly day at Derby. There is no sign yet of a spectator huddle, although it is cold enough. Spectators, most of them in ones or twos, prefer to dot themselves around virtually-empty stands with a very English determination to keep as much distance as possible between themselves and other shuman beings. Penguins could teach them a thing or two about keeping warm.

Mike Taylor, the old Hampshire cricketer, has been on the ground during this match. He has spotted that one of the club's Sunday League triumphs, 1978, when he was in the side, has not gone up on the honours board. He and his friend, neighbour and old colleague, Bob Stephenson, wicketkeeper in that era, turn 70 later this year. Would he like the club to lay on a dinner? "They won't be interested in us," he replied. We'll see.

We could have an intriguing fourth day here at Edgbaston. Warwickshire currently need 161 more to win with William Porterfield going well. There’s a bit of turn, but the extravagant seam and swing of the first day or two has all but gone.

That Sussex would overcome Lancashire by 10 wickets would not have been forecast by many. Graham Hardcastle's report on how the Australian Steve Magoffin upset the champions is already on line.

We will have reports from all the matches as the evening progresses.

Warwickshire need 259 to win here at Edgbaston. Adam Dibble, with a brisk innings of 43, may well have taken this game away from Warwickshire. But you never know. Warwickshire have opened the batting with Neil Carter, which is an interesting tactic.

Some irony when Jim Troughton took an outstanding diving catch, running back from mid-off, to dismiss Vernon Philander. It was a much easier chance than the one missed by Troughton earlier. And, realistically, much less significant.

Warwickshire’s bowlers weren’t quite on top of their game. Neil Carter, in particular, was struggling for fluency.

Elsewhere some interesting wins for Derbyshire and Kent, the Moneyball side of the competition, who have recruited very well.

What a change we’ve had a Lord’s. Two days of grinding, gritty cricket and then suddenly the game has fallen into line with the tumbling wickets around the country. First Middlesex this morning picking up the last five Surrey wickets for 61 and but now as they try to build a lead – anything north of 200 would be a major challenge – they’ve lost 6 for 35, three for Jon Lewis. Surrey storming back into contention. Nay, Surrey taking a winning position.

The fifth and sixth wickets were watched out of the corner of our eye, focus turned to the 2.50 at Aintree where Marcus Hook to my left was distraught that Ruby Walsh took a fall on Zarkandar, ruling him out of the Grand National – Marcus, who runs his own tipping service, had Walsh’s mount On His Own as one of his selections. Disaster.

The rain has relented, play finally getting underway at 3 o'clock. Plenty of time today, then, for sampling the food in the atrium. On the evidence of the first two weeks of the season, the catering is markedly improving around the grounds. At any rate, the southern grounds. The standard of the carvery at Taunton, the cooking here and Lord's Long Room dinners - the 2012 Wisden was launched there earlier this week - has risen to provincial restaurant level. That says much for how cricket clubs are run these days. All a far cry from the dreadful days at Derby when it was necessary to travel five miles or more to find something edible.

Otherwise strong Durham men have retreated to Austin's Bistro for a spot of warmth, and have been half-watching the football on the tv, and muttering: "We won't get close." Outside, a scattering of spectators, a striking number in woolly hats, are looking upon Nottinghamshire's lead of 367 as all but unassailable. Perhaps the ice cream man thinks Durham will win, but if he has parked up an ice cream van at square leg in this weather then his judgment might be lacking.

In the stand marked Castle View, a young lad looks as if he has had happier days. I don't think pointing out the view of the castle would help at a time like this. A whirlwind double hundred from Ben Stokes might cheer him up. If that was to happen, Durham might be in the game more than we suspect.

Michael Lumb has sliced Callum Thorp high to Will Smith to fall for 131, a potentially matchwinning innings one suspects, and will be relishing the warmth of the dressing room. It is perishing here, 8C when the sun comes out, but it is something of a miracle that play is going on at all.

Ten miles south on the A1 at Durham, car thermometers soon after noon were registering 4.5C in a sleet storm - and that is cold enough to cause the ice warning symbol to pop onto the screen. If that sleet arrives in Chester-le-Street it could be terminal, but for the moment Notts are building on a lead of 327 with four wickets remaining. Every now and then the heating in the media box makes a mournful sound reminiscent of a mating whale.

The start of the afternoon session has been delayed by rain, which is some relief for Lancashire.

They lost three wickets in the last half an hour of the morning session, two of them going to Steve Magoffin and one of those being the key wicket of Ashwell Prince, caught behind by Ben Brown for 58.

When play resumes, which should not be a million miles away, Sussex will need just two more wickets to clinch the win. Lancashire need eleven runs to make them bat again.

And still the rain stair-rods down. No play before lunch; or in the immediate future. Time, then, to turn to the obituaries section of the new Wisden and the mention of the sad death of Elvis Reifer, the Bajan who had one season with Hampshire, in 1984, on the recommendation of Malcolm Marshall, the county's great fast bowler. The fast medium Reifer had never played for Barbados but managed to pick up 41 championship wickets in his one season on the south coast. Like Marshall, he passed away at a young age: he was only 50 when he died last year.

Compton and Buttler have so far added 119 for Somerset’s sixth wicket. Compton has moved to a calm but not unattractive century – the 13th of his first-class career – while Buttler has played some eye-catching strokes in reaching 66 at lunch. He sweeps and drives through extra-cover unusually well, though a couple of edges have gone close to fielders.

There was also THAT drop. Buttler was on just seven when Troughton, at mid on, put down the chance. It may prove very costly.

Don’t forget you can listen to live commentary from our friends at BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/13629853

Middlesex have picked up where they left off last night with patient accurate bowling and they’ve removed four wickets and are now into the Surrey tail looking to pick up a slender first-innings lead.

Rory Hamilton-Brown was the visitors’ main hope of pushing perhaps up to 300 but a ball after taking one in the nastiest of places, he copped the next on the front pad and was given out lbw.

The press box is awash with Grand National talk. Take your pick from the field really. But i’m sat next to a bloke called Phil, so how about Planet of Sound, trained by Phillip Hobbs.

George Dobell is so far the champion tipster at cricinfo...any fancies G?

Be interested to hear your thoughts on the scheduling of championship cricket on Saturdays. While many insist it is their only chance to watch the game, the attendance figures for Saturdays are awful. No-one at Edgbaston from any of the national papers, either. Might it make sense to schedule the championship from Monday to Thursday?

Warwickshire haven’t been at their best this morning. Rikki Clarke and Neil Carter seem to be exploring the theory that Compton and Buttler can’t play the long-hop and, despite his success last night, Jeetan Patel has only just come into the attack.

I have been waiting for Monty Panesar to drop a catch so I could use the line that he has spilled a chance so simple Jim Troughton could have taken it one handed.

Instead, that honour shall go to Steve Magoffin, who handed Ashwell Prince a life on 42. Prince top-edged a pull off James Anyon to long-leg, where the big Australian fast bowler fluffed a simple opportunity.

It could be a costly miss because Prince and fellow left-hander Luke Procter have batted with plenty of intent this morning, taking the score for 85 for 4 to 137 for 4 in the hour of play.

Just as I type, Procter has gone having spooned Panesar to Luke Wells at point. 137 for 5 now.

In other news, an ice cream van has just driven past the ground playing the tune to BBC's Match of the Day programme. I would be amazed if there's one driving past Wembley about now belting out the tune to Test Match Special.

John Woodcock, the great Times correspondent, used to say he was put off his breakfast more times than he cared to remember by the errors of himself or others when he came to read his account of the previous day's play. That was just about the case this morning when the Daily Telegraph's scorecard (but not Cricinfo's) indicated that Michael Bates, the fine young Hampshire wicketkeeper, had taken five and not six catches yesterday.

Upon closer inspection, this scorecard had DA Payne down as c Balcombe b Balcombe, when in fact Bates took the catch. The gremlins were responsible and panic over. But small wonder county scorers become concerned.

Morning from Edgbaston where Warwickshire have struck early. Chris Wright, digging one in, had the nightwatchman, George Dockrell caught at gully as he tried to fend off the ball.

They might have taken another wicket. Jim Troughton, at mid off, has just put down a chance so simple that Monty Panesar might have caught it one handed. Jos Buttler, on seven, mistimed a drive straight to Troughton, but the Warwickshire captain put it down. I’m no lip reader, but I’m pretty sure Keith Barker – the unfortunate bowler – didn’t say ‘Bad luck, skipper, could have happened to anyone.’

Craig Kieswetter is sitting in the press box this morning (reckon he’s after our biscuits) and reckons that, if Somerset can extend their lead to 180, they’ll have a decent chance of winning. Sounds about right. There is a bit of turn, though mainly from the footholes, and a little uneven bounce at both ends. The seam and swing of the first two days has largely gone, though.

This is a big day for Merseyside sport, including Lancashire's and Sussex's cricketers.

Going into the third day at Aigburth, Sussex, in horse racing terms, hold the whip hand over the reigning champions, still leading by 91 runs and with only six wickets to take to claim an impressive win.

Michael Yardy's side will fancy their chances of inflicting only a fifth defeat in 36 home Championship matches upon Lancashire before the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Everton kicks off at Wembley at 12.30pm.

But, if Lancashire are still batting by the time the Grand National horse race gets underway down the road at Aintree at 4.15pm, their hopes of pulling the match out of the fire will have increased markedly.

Chances of a home recovery would seem to rest on the shoulders of South Africa's Ashwell Prince, who will stride to the crease on 31 not out and with the score at 85 for 4.

Hello all and welcome to what uber-dramatic American TV companies might call this "moving day" - the third day of the latest round of County Championship matches where all the games are set up to move one way or the other.

A few games are leaning firmly in one direction. Sussex, Kent and Notts are all set for a victory push today so we may see a few three-day results.

Por moi, Lord's is its gentle unoccupied self half an hour before the start of a county match and this game is right in the balance after Middlesex stifled Surrey yesterday evening and finally managed to make inroad late in the day. Wickets for them this morning will turn the tide in their favour.

Yesterday's reports are up on our county cricket home page - your one-stop-shop for the best county coverage. Please get involved today on twitter or by commenting below for what's set up to be an exciting day of cricket.