Mason bags seven for struggling Worcestershire

Matt Mason took 7 for 60 to restrict the Sussex lead to 24 at Hove, but Worcestershire's struggling batting slipped to 71 for 4 at the close to undo much of his good work. Sussex's position marked a significant recovery after they'd stumbled to 101 for 6 in the face of Mason's initial onslaught before Andrew Hodd made a battling 73. The Sussex seamers then made early inroads and Yasir Arafat pinned Vikram Solanki lbw with the final ball of the day. Sussex resumed on 48 for 2 and Mason trapped nightwatchman Ollie Rayner leg before with the second ball of the day then bowled captain Michael Yardy with a yorker. He also added Murray Goodwin and Carl Hopkinson, both taken in the slips, to leave Worcestershire in the ascendancy. However, Sussex fought back as Hodd and Luke Wright (38) added 69 then Yasir Arafat helped Hodd put on 78 for the eighth wicket. Hodd was ninth out to give Mason his seventh, but that slender lead looked much bigger by the close.

Yorkshire overcame a middle-order wobble to take the lead against Hampshire at Basingstoke. Jacques Rudolph (90) and Joe Sayers (50) had put Yorkshire in command with an opening stand of 132 but the home side fought back to leave the visitors on 204 for 5. David Griffiths, who impressed last week against Lancashire, struck in consecutive overs to have Sayers caught at second slip ad Anthony McGrath without scoring. Andrew Gale was also caught by Liam Dawson at second slip, while Imran Tahir collected a brace including Rudolph ten short of a hard-fought and painstaking hundred. When he fell, Yorkshire were still 46 behind but Gerard Brophy and Tim Bresnan added 58, though Brophy was dropped on 49 by the wicketkeeper, Tom Burrows, standing up to Tahir. Hampshire hit back again late in the day as Bresnan was needlessly run out, and Brophy became Griffiths' third shortly after reaching fifty to leave the match finely balanced.

Click here for a full report from Nottinghamshire's match against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge

Click here for John Ward's report from Old Trafford on the second day between Lancashire and Durham.

The Kent bowlers made good use of the two hours available when the rain cleared at Wantage Road to level up the contest against Northamptonshire. They reduced to the hosts to 147 for 5 with two wickets for Phil Edwards and one apiece from the spinners, Rob Ferley and James Tredwell, but Rikki Wessels was fighting hard on 47. Edwards, a young and tall medium-pacer whose previous five first-class wickets were for Cambridge, caused the early problems when he had both Niall O'Brien and Rob White caught at slip. White was smartly held by Justin Kemp at first, and Edwards was well-supported by Simon Cook at the other end, who generated impressive pace on an otherwise sticky surface. Alex Wakely (33) and Wessels added 59 before Tredwell - generating turn and bounce - removed Wakely thanks to a fine diving catch at backward square-leg. Buoyed by the encouragement Tredwell was getting, Ferley was wheeled into the attack and almost immediately bowled Nicky Boje through the gate to give Kent the edge.

Chris Rogers hit his third Championship century of the season as Derbyshire built a lead of 100 against Leicestershire at Grace Road. Early rain meant play was limited to 60 overs, but Rogers ensured that time was well used as he moved to an unbeaten 122. Batting was hard work to begin with in helpful conditions and the Leicestershire attack had no luck. Rogers' unbroken third-wicket stand with Greg Smith is worth 145 with Smith following his three scalps from the first day with 74. Rogers reached his hundred from 230 balls and it involved plenty of running with seven boundaries. The only wicket to fall was Garry Park, bowled by Jigar Naik for 41, as the home attack laboured, although Rogers was dropped late on by HD Ackerman.

Click here for Andrew McGlashan's report from Middlesex against Essex at Lord's where Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook both failed.