Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon came out on top of his latest duel with England Test captain Ben Stokes to give Lancashire the upper hand against Durham at Blackpool.
The pair have engaged in several compelling arm-wrestles in the Ashes through the years and another clash was the headline attraction on day two of this Vitality County Championship Division One fixture.
In his first innings in two months, Stokes made a becalmed two off 16 balls before falling to a bowler who has dismissed him nine times in Tests, playing back to a delivery which gripped and turned to take his outside edge as Tom Bruce snaffled a low catch at second slip.
Lyon finished with four for 59, while Tom Aspinwall claimed five for 41 for a maiden five-wicket haul to restrict Durham to 236, buttressed by David Bedingham’s 101, in response to Lancashire’s 357.
Stokes claimed a wicket in his first over as Luke Wells miscued to Matthew Potts but bottom-of-the-table Lancashire closed on 91 for two and a 212-run lead as they chase a first win of the campaign.
Zak Crawley made a golden duck for Kent, while England team-mate Jack Leach took a couple of wickets to lift Somerset into the ascendancy at Taunton.
After Somerset were all out for a mountainous 554, Craig Overton snared Crawley lbw first-ball before Leach, on his return from knee surgery, had Ben Compton caught behind and Harry Finch trapped in front.
Kent went to stumps on 108 for five, still trailing by a mountainous 446.
Dan Worrall’s six for 22 was followed by fifties by Rory Burns, Jamie Smith, Dan Lawrence and Jordan Clark as Surrey seized a commanding 427-run lead against Worcestershire at the Kia Oval.
Worrall’s haul restricted Worcestershire to 128 in reply to 213 before Surrey’s batters got stuck in, with the efforts of Burns (70) and Smith (72) followed up by an unbroken 108-run stand between Lawrence (86 not out) and Clark (69no) although England’s Ollie Pope was dismissed for one off six balls.
Olly Stone boosted his England hopes with four for 62 for Nottinghamshire although Liam Dawson’s 95 not out and Keith Barker’s 74 helped Hampshire to 276 and a 41-run first-innings lead at Trent Bridge.
Nottinghamshire lost captain Haseeb Hameed to the second ball of their second innings before closing on 33 for one.
Warwickshire remain in pole position despite collapsing to 43 for five second time around thanks to Che Simmons running amok on his first-class debut to rip through Essex’s middle-order at Chelmsford.
After Warwickshire were dismissed for 397 – following Ed Barnard’s 165 and Michael Burgess’ 108 – 20-year-old Simmons dismissed Tom Westley, Nick Browne and Matt Critchley within 15 balls as Essex were all out for 162, with the Bears then building their lead to 278 following a fine fightback from their hosts.
In Division Two, Gloucestershire amassed the highest score in their 154-year first-class history, racking up 706 for six declared at Grace Road before reducing Leicestershire to 133 for five.
Graeme Van Buuren’s 103 off just 93 balls plus James Bracey’s 92 followed up day one centuries from openers Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth as Gloucestershire passed 700 for the first time ever.
Tom Alsop’s unbeaten 77 pushed Sussex into a 149-run lead against Yorkshire at Hove although the home side have just three second-innings wickets in hand.
Mark Stoneman’s 129 lifted Middlesex to 303 for six in response to Glamorgan’s 183 at Cardiff, while Rob Keogh’s 102 underpinned Northamptonshire’s 422 before Derbyshire ended the day on 170 for two at Derby.
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