Champions Middlesex look on course for a huge first-innings lead against Yorkshire – and their first win of the season
Yorkshire lost the title to Middlesex last September and life looks just as bleak for them this time after a first-innings collapse
Samit Patel, whose century in the Royal London Cup semi-final helped take Nottinghamshire to Lord’s, is in one of the most golden sequences of his career
Patel completes back-to-back double centuries in the Championship by making 247 against Leicestershire, who are then bundled out for 134
Division One leaders Essex celebrate a batting revival for two staunch servants against bottom club Warwickshire
Ravi Bopara bats for eight hours for 198 and recalled ‘keeper James Foster hits 121 as Warwickshire feel their age in conceding 541 for 9
Kyle Abbott records a career-best with the bat against Lancashire at Old Trafford – only to be lkeft stranded on 97 not out when Hampshire are dismissed
England Lions’ Joe Clarke rectifies a miserable season with 142 at Worcester
Clarke’s innings gives Worcestershire the edge in a vital promotion affair
Very many other cricketers have possessed a similar cast of mind, of course, but few achieve their goal with quite the gleeful devil evinced by Alex Davies
Samit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire's batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling
WICKET: Yorkshire 178/9 (55.4 ov, trail by 268 - 1st inns) v Middlesex BO Coad c †Simpson b Finn 14 (31) Partnership: 32 (10.1 ov) ST Finn 10.4-4-36-2 GS Ballance 48* (100)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 5:36:14 PM
STUMPS: Warwickshire 60/2 (26 ov, trail by 481 - 1st inns) v Essex IR Bell 8* (25) IJL Trott 15* (42)
WICKET: Durham 272/4 (70.3 ov, trail by 23 - 1st inns) v Glamorgan G Clark c †Cullen b de Lange 109 (135) Partnership: 185 (41.4 ov) M de Lange 17.3-2-60-3 PD Collingwood 69* (131)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 5:23:37 PM
I don't comment here often StaggerBreaths, but when I do, I jinx quite marvellously
by Freddie Lynch6/20/2017 5:23:33 PM
Aw Freddie! Anyway Haystack wins.
by StaggerBreaths6/20/2017 5:22:22 PM
WICKET: Leicestershire 134 all out (49.5 ov, trail by 414 - 1st inns) v Notts BA Raine c Taylor b Mullaney 1 (23) Partnership: 21 (10.5 ov) SJ Mullaney 8.5-5-16-2 CJ McKay 18* (49)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 5:21:39 PM
Leicestershire 20% of the way there to the last wicket 100 stand...
by Freddie Lynch6/20/2017 5:20:20 PM
He's been doing alright this season, young Clark. Presume he'll be off to Surrey in 2018.
by StaggerBreaths6/20/2017 5:14:28 PM
INDIVIDUAL 100: G Clark 100* (129) Durham 258/3 (68.1 ov, trail by 37 - 1st inns) v Glamorgan
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 5:13:21 PM
With lots of steamy sex scenes in the middle.
by StaggerBreaths6/20/2017 5:11:14 PM
TEAM 100: Kent 100/3 (23.3 ov, lead by 24 - 2nd inns) v Worcs JJ Weatherley 7* (36) JL Denly 64* (69)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 5:10:32 PM
Have to be a road movie
by Lawrence Payne6/20/2017 5:07:35 PM
Someone emotionless and dour. Keanu Reeves?
by StaggerBreaths6/20/2017 5:07:03 PM
Who would play Mick though?
by Lawrence Payne6/20/2017 5:03:55 PM
WICKET: Warwickshire 39/2 (17.2 ov, trail by 502 - 1st inns) v Essex IJ Westwood c Cook b Harmer 22 (51) Partnership: 3 (4.2 ov) SR Harmer 4.2-2-5-1 IJL Trott 2* (15)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 5:02:16 PM
INDIVIDUAL 50: JL Denly 50* (47) Kent 81/3 (17.1 ov, lead by 5 - 2nd inns) v Worcs
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 4:48:17 PM
@Staggers all sweeping generalizations are prone to error - momentum is everything until it isn't - Pakistan was a Black Swan event
by Antony_Melvin6/20/2017 4:48:15 PM
82 for 1 now 7 down 140
by Lawrence Payne6/20/2017 4:47:36 PM
oh, warwickshire. That's what a day and a half in the field does to your decision making
by GeorgePotter196/20/2017 4:47:28 PM
James Vince showing his allround credentials. Also, Yorkshire are shocking.
by Matt Warwick6/20/2017 4:46:09 PM
Yeah Australia issue is interesting, would they really miss out on ashes test match?
by Lawrence Payne6/20/2017 4:45:56 PM
WICKET: Yorkshire 140/7 (43.4 ov, trail by 306 - 1st inns) v Middlesex SA Patterson b Higgins 1 (7) Partnership: 5 (3.0 ov) RF Higgins 8.4-2-22-2 GS Ballance 32* (62)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 4:45:41 PM
WICKET: Warwickshire 36/1 (13 ov, trail by 505 - 1st inns) v Essex ARI Umeed run out 7 (38) Partnership: 36 (13.0 ov) IJ Westwood 21* (40)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 4:45:20 PM
WICKET: Lancashire 223/5 (59.5 ov, trail by 172 - 1st inns) v Hampshire AL Davies c Carberry b Vince 115 (188) Partnership: 80 (19.0 ov) JM Vince 0.5-0-6-1 DJ Vilas 48* (53)
by ESPNcricinfo Live6/20/2017 4:44:46 PM
T20 journeyman, a la T Mills, KP Pietersen and soon to be the former Australian team
by Courtney Nangle6/20/2017 4:44:30 PM
Ummmm good luck Courtney, unlikely methinks
by Lawrence Payne6/20/2017 4:43:18 PM
Murtagh ... luck of the Irish, eh? I wasn't here yesterday (was at Lord's in fact) - did anyone come up with 'Stirling for England?'
by David Taylor6/20/2017 4:39:06 PM
WICKET: Leicestershire 113/9 (39 ov, trail by 435 - 1st inns) v Notts GT Griffiths b Pattinson 8 (4) Partnership: 9 (1.0 ov) JL Pattinson 11-3-32-5 CJ McKay 5* (7)