Tuesday 1 July 2014 19:23, UK
Warwickshire will be hoping Jonathan Trott can steer them to a final day victory over league leaders Nottinghamshire after he reached the close unbeaten on 19 as the Bears were set 289 to win at Trent Bridge.
Trott overcame a short-ball barrage from Peter Siddle to help Warwickshire end the day on 61-2 after Chris Woakes had earlier bowled the Bears back into contention.
Woakes, who struck 91 with the bat on day two, took 5-35 as Notts were dismissed for 225 in their second knock to set up an intriguing run-chase.
Warwickshire lost openers Varun Chopra (10) and William Porterfield (22) early in the run-chase, however Trott held firm and will be hoping to mark his return to the side with a match-winning knock on the final day.
Craig Overton was agonisingly dismissed one short of a maiden first-class century as Somerset moved into a strong position on the third day of their clash with Lancashire at Taunton.
The 20-year-old all-rounder left the field with a hand clutching his face, clearly distraught, after being caught one-handed at slip by Paul Horton off Simon Kerrigan having hit nine fours and two sixes in his 135-ball innings.
Overton shared a stand of 140 with Alfonso Thomas - a ninth-wicket record in matches between Somerset and Lancashire - before Somerset were bowled out for 484, a first innings lead of 218.
Marcus Trescothick had earlier fallen for 128 and Alviro Petersen for 73 as Lancashire fought back at the start of the third day. But the late innings runs from Overton, Thomas (54) and Lewis Gregory (26) left the visitors with a tough task to save the game on a dry, wearing pitch.
Lancashire closed on 59 without loss, Horton having been forced to retire hurt on one after ducking into a Thomas bouncer. Alex Davies was unbeaten on 38 and Usman Khawaja 14.
At Lord’s, Steven Crook hit a memorable run-a-ball maiden first-class hundred to lead a Northamptonshire fightback against his former club Middlesex.
His sublime 131 came in his 95th first-class innings and the 31-year-old all-rounder was joined in a determined seventh-wicket stand of 144 by Andrew Hall, who scored a more circumspect but no less valuable 75, as bottom-of-the-table Northants recovered from 168-6 to reach 384 and avoid the follow-on.
In 11 overs' batting on a sunlit evening, however, Middlesex stretched their overall lead to 134 by reaching 30 for the loss of Chris Rogers for 18 in their second innings and will still be looking to force a fifth championship victory of the season on Wednesday's final day.
