Northants’ great rearguard suffers a brutal blow, McSweeney out for 62, a third catch for Brooke Guest, who throws the ball high in the air in glee. Northants 205-7, and the main stumbling block for Derby gone.

The dog settles in a patch of sun infront of the television, and puts her belly in the air. She thinks Glamorgan have got this. Nineteen neeed. Ryan Hadley, Cardiff hero.

Ooof and another! Umpire’s finger straight up, Cooke pushes forward, misses ball, lbw. Somerset need three wickets, Glamorgan need 28. A fourth wicket for Pretorius.

A wicket at Cardiff, but surely too late – and Chris Cooke looks in greedy form. A fabulous innings by Sean Dickson, ended by Craig Overton, lbw for 76. Only 29 needed.

A hundred partnership at Sophia Gardens! Much whooping from the crowd/dressing room. Dickson and Hadley share a glove shake. Somerset look a little resigned now. The target below fifty. Time to gamble with some more Leach?

Elsewhere,

Kent are three down, Northeast for four, to Will Williams, who seems to be having quite a fruitful summer for Gloucestershire. They need another 173. Muyeye still there on a boundary-heavy 44.

A third wicket for Shoaib Bashir at The County Ground, Northants are clawing on, but have only four wickets left. McSweeney 47 not out. They still trail Derby by a huge 201.

Rain at Hove, with Sussex 16-1 chasing another 115 to beat Leicester.

And Notts 263-3 at Trent Bridge, centurion Duckett has lost partner Clarke for 59, lbw to Dan Worrall.

At the Gardens, slowly and with great care, and a bit of luck, Glamorgan are in sight of a win. They need 64, with Sean Dickson (58) and Ryan Hadley (22), the overnight batters, still in situ.

Aha, one pre-lunch offering of Jack Leach at Sophia Gardens.

Over at Derby, Northants have lost three wickets this morning, one each for Bashir, Aitchison and Chappell. A long afternoon of defence ahead to avoid an innings defeat. Nathan McSweeney 33 not out.

Lewis Gregory gets a ticking off from the umpires for misdemeanours unknown.

A third wicket of the morning for Olly Hannon-Dalby takes him to a seventh wicket in the match against his former county. Nice bit of bowling from Halifax’s finest, setting up Ben Cliff for an inswinger that sent leg stump for a tumble. Warwickshire now within touching distance of a huge victory.

The weather seems to be fine for now at Sophia Gardens, where, softly, softly, Glamorgan are creeping up on Somerset. Sean Dickson drives Craig Overton for four to reduce the target to under a hundred. And the next ball, a fat half volley is driven for another. Glamorgan 191-5.

Leicestershire are nine down and in deep trouble, despite Ben Cox’s best efforts. His 46 ball 32 sits amongst six single figures scores. Leicestershire 215 for nine, lead by just 113. Though rain may yet have a word.

Hadley and Dickson continue to gather runs slowly at Cardiff, Glamorgan now need just 111 with five wickets still in hand. Still no overs from Jack Leach.

Another three fours by Muyeye off the next over, including a lipsmacking straight drive. Kent 56 for 2.

Muyeye tucking into Taylor in Bristol – three fours and an elaborate leave to finish the over. That’ll lighten Kent spirits – Kent 43-1, need another 218 to beat Gloucestershire.

Was chatting to people at OT yesterday, asking if there were any batters from the second XI knocking on the door of the first team and the answer was no - not really. Harry Singh and George Bell, but neither have looked totally convincing yet when they’ve had their chance. Rocky Flintoff hasn’t been in the runs. Young Joe Moores looks the real deal but he’s also a wicketkeeper so that would be a big call.

It’s a bit Logan van Bleak for Yorkshire here, as their Dutch all-rounder repeats the earlier Matt Revis dismissal to give Rob Yates his sixth catch of the match at second slip. Two wickets sit between Warwickshire and their second win of the season.

This has been a very good start to the day by Warwickshire, with both OHD and Ethan Bamber probing away and being rewarded with a wicket apiece. George Hill is the latest to fall, Bamber getting a smidgeon of extra bounce to send a simple catch to Sam Hain at first slip. Yorkshire seven down now with Logan van Beek joining Dom Bess out in the middle.

Yikes, Crawley crouches and, head bobbing, opts for a huge booming drive and loses his middle stump to Will Williams. He turns smartly on his heel and marches away. Kent 24-2. And now no-one knows where the ball is.

Nothing much happening for a bit at Cardiff so swapping over to the Bristol stream, where Kent are already 23 for one. Dawkins the wicket, Bell the wickettaker.

​OMG it’s OHD with the breakthrough at chilly Edgbaston – reward for his accurate start from the City End as Matt Revis finally pushes out to one and sends a catch to second slip. Yorkshire 122 for six, with two of my County XI players now at the crease in the shape of George Hill and Dom Bess.

Leicestershire are disintegrating this morning – as now Hudson-Prentice removes Ben Green’s off stump. Three wickets have gone for ten runs.

At Cardiff, Sean Dickson flays Jake Ball through the covers for four. Glamorgan 158-5.

Kent have started their chase and Crawley and Dawkins have safely knocked off eight runs.

Calamity, calamity for Leicestershire, as Stevie Eskinazi is run out charging down the pitch. His partner Ben Cox has his back turned, diving for his own crease and then slips, and both batters end up the same end rather cross. Leicestershire 162-6, lead Sussex by just 60.

Watching Craig Overton run in at full throttle, and wondering what it is like to be six foot five and built like the Berlin wall, that’s a hell of a lot of body to carry around . Anyway, a ninth maiden for Overton. Glamorgan 148-5, need another 135.

Ollie Robinson with an early breakthrough at Hove, where the weather looks rather nicer than it is in Manchester. Jonny Tattersall’s stumps disturbed, out for 54. Leicestershire half out, with the lead just 52.

Anthony Gibson reports that Tom Abell said it was 50:50 last night in Cardiff. Feels more tilted to Somerset than that.

Raf is underwhelmed.

“Now then, Tanya!” Hell0 there Tim Maitland.

“I’ve started several different emails to you over the last few weeks wondering why Yorkshire are struggling. One was about how the seamers, with the exception of George Hill, haven’t been supporting the parsimonious Jack White. Note: White bowled 16 overs at 1.75 an over in that disastrous second Warwickshire innings.

”Another was touching on Adam Lyth who hasn’t come close to replicating his form this time last year. In his first 10 innings of 2025 he was averaging 61.1, including 185 at Chelmsford, but just as importantly, a contribution of at least 20 on all but one occasion, which meant that Yorkshire were always getting some sort of foundation to build on.

”Lyth’s had his moments this year - a match-saving 97 at Glamorgan, a 76 while wickets clattered against Hampshire - but his last few innings have been 2 and 4 in this game at Warwickshire, 6 against Sussex when, perhaps tellingly, nos 2-to-4 scored 105, 101 and 96 and a six-ball duck in the second knock against Hants. 226 runs in 9 innings and an average of 25.1.

”The batting against Warwickshire though has been worrying, looking like a unit rapidly losing confidence. James Wharton, like YJB in the first innings, getting bowled attempting a leave hints at scrambled brains, and I wonder whether captaining a struggling side explains Bairstow’s seemingly distrait batting. You could have a moan, as if the folk of God’s own country ever need an invitation to do that, at Harry Brook’s dismissal driving, but by his own standards his caught and bowled at the hands of teammate-turned-tormentor Jordan Thompson wasn’t particularly rash. I’ll be surprised if they survive the morning session today.”

I know this is heretical, but I was wondering if YJB’s eyes might not be as razor sharp as they once were – though tbf he doesn’t seem to have any issues behind the sticks, at least not that I’ve noticed.

Correction from Edgbaston, no-one is yet warming up so the start could be a while away.

Just in from Ali, that they may even start on time at Edgbaston.

​G’morning from Edgbaston, where around an hour of tropical rain now sees the groundstaff beavering away on the covers, sweeping away the excess water. It is brightening up overhead, so there may not be too long a delay. Yorkshire 98 for five, still 451 runs shy of their notional target, have it all to do to save this match.

An Australian prodigy? Excellent.