Tuesday 24 June 2014 11:54, UK
Aaron Finch notched a century for Yorkshire as the Division One leaders established a 194-run first innings lead over Warwickshire on day two at Edgbaston.
The 27-year-old Australian - appearing in his fourth championship match in a locum spell as replacement for Kane Williamson - made an eye-catching 110 from 146 balls.
He shared in a partnership of 123 in 30 overs with Richard Pyrah (62) as Yorkshire, who had resumed on 82-2, were eventually dismissed for 422, having secured maximum batting points.
Their 194-run lead is not quite as big as the 200-plus margins which led to victories by an innings in two of the last three meetings between the sides, but it is surely enough for the title contenders to be dictating terms over the last two days.
Career best figures of seven for 67 for Ben Stokes put Durham on course for a second successive County Championship win, while Sussex's slide into relegation trouble looks set to continue.
Sussex collapsed from 56 without loss to 205 all out, despite an unbeaten 66 from Luke Wright, then saw Keaton Jennings put an indifferent run of form behind him. He reached 46 not out and Scott Borthwick made an unbeaten 22 as Durham ended on 105-1 at stumps, a lead of 237.
Stokes took 4-10 in his first six overs through swing and steep bounce as five wickets went down for 23 in 12 overs, with Paul Coughlin also capturing the wicket of Chris Nash.
Sussex's slide to 79-5 was arrested by Steffan Piolet contributing 25 to a stand of 54 with Wright before Stokes knocked back his off stump.
John Hastings picked up two wickets before Stokes wrapped up the innings, with Jon Lewis edging to keeper Phil Mustard and last man Lewis Hatchett playing on.
Nottinghamshire continued to set the pace on the second day against Somerset at Trent Bridge, forging a first innings advantage of 293 after being bowled out for 461 in 102.2 overs.
Resuming on 208-1, Phil Jaques fell early in the day for 113, having added just two to his overnight score but a stand of 161 between Samit Patel and Riki Wessels took the game away from the visitors.
Patel eventually fell for 94, the third time this season he has fallen in the 90s, with Wessels making 76. Craig Overton returned the best figures with the ball, ending with 4-102.
Batting again, Somerset reached 106-3 by stumps, still trailing by 187 runs, with Chris Jones undefeated on 59.
Lancashire's batsmen broke more records and their bowlers made significant inroads into Northamptonshire's batting as Glen Chapple's side strengthened their grip at Old Trafford.
The hosts resumed on 384-4 and pushed on to 650-six declared, the eighth biggest total in their history, before Northants were 113-7 in their first innings at close of play and now seem to have merely a mathematical chance of avoiding the follow-on target of 501.
This was another depressing day for Stephen Peters' side, who were worn down by the relentless batting of double-centurion Ashwell Prince, who made a career-best 257 not out, and then torn apart by the attacking strokeplay of Jos Buttler (87) and Tom Smith (79).
The visitors' batting then proved itself incapable of resisting a Lancashire attack led by Chapple, who claimed 4-42 on a wicket offering a little extra bounce from the Pavilion End, while Smith waded in with a useful 2-11.
