• County round-up

Meaker strikes as Surrey fight back

Stuart Meaker starred with the ball for Surrey © Getty Images

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Stuart Meaker led a Surrey fightback with three wickets during the two brief spells of play possible on the second day of the LV= County Championship first division match against Sussex at Horsham.

Surrey, who had been bowled out for 124 on day one, took four wickets for nine runs in the six overs that were possible today to reduce Sussex to 90 for six before rain washed out play.

Rain hindered Middlesex's efforts to secure all five batting bonus points on day three of their contest against Somerset at Lord's. Just 17.5 overs were possible before the weather intervened for the second and final time just after midday, with the hosts on 364 for three in reply to Somerset's 173 all out.

For the second successive week, Durham will go into the final day of an LV= County Championship match at Chester-le-Street with any result possible. They lost by two wickets to Lancashire in the final over last Saturday but will hope to pull off their first win against Warwickshire, who trail by 227 and still have to take the last three wickets. Play ended at 1430 on the third day, although it had been intended to resume at 1715, only for drizzle and poor light to persuade the umpires to call it a day.

Lancashire added two bonus points and Nottinghamshire one as just 21 overs of play were possible on day two of their clash at a rainy Trent Bridge.

Thanks to the drainage system, hard work of the groundstaff and floodlights, play was able to start just 40 minutes late - albeit under gloomy skies. But, after an early, rain-induced break for lunch, a second downpour soon after the resumption proved terminal, ending the action at 1345. During the play that was possible, Lancashire carried their overnight score from 203 for six to 272 for nine as their tailed wagged.

In Division Two, top-of-the-table Derbyshire were again left frustrated by the weather, as rain reduced the third day's play in their match against Leicestershire to 18.1 overs at a soggy Grace Road. In that time, the Division Two leaders scored another 68 runs to reach 259 for five, giving them a lead of 82 runs and a second batting bonus point.

Dan Redfern and David Wainwright extended their unbeaten sixth wicket partnership to 109, with Redfern looking well on course for his third Championship century of the season. The 22-year-old was still there on 81 off 138 balls when play was abandoned for the day in mid-afternoon. Wainwright was 45 not out.

England international Ravi Bopara moved closer to his second century of the week on a rain-shortened second day of Essex's encounter at Northamptonshire.

Only 13 wicketless overs were bowled at Wantage Road before bad light forced the players off and the rain soon followed, leading to play being abandoned for the day in the afternoon with Essex 195 for four. Bopara, pushing for an England recall for the upcoming one-day series against the West Indies, moved on to 87 off 180 balls, including 15 fours. He will be looking to follow up the unbeaten 120 he smashed against Gloucestershire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 on Monday when play resumes on Friday.

No play was possible on the second day of Glamorgan's clash with Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay. Overnight and morning rain meant the outfield was too wet to get play started, and after an early lunch the umpires - Mark Benson and Paul Baldwin - called it off for the day at 1315 BST. It now means Glamorgan have lost more than 900 overs in the County Championship season and that could get up towards four figures on Friday as the weather forecast is not good.

And the weather continued to dominate Kent's match against Hampshire at Tunbridge Wells. After a rain-ruined opening day restricted the action to just 15.1 overs, only 18.3 overs were sent down before play was again abandoned with the visitors on 90 for three in their first innings.

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