County cricket – as it happened

10.00am: Welcome to the county cricket live blog for the latest round of Championship action. Our writers will be here with all the day's play shortly. Richard Gibson will be at Worcester to take in Worcestershire v Warwickshire, Richard Rae is watching Sussex v Somerset at Hove, while Mark Pennell will be at Canterbury for Kent v Derbyshire. If you here before them, you can have a read of yesterday's match reports by clicking here. Enjoy.

10.31am: Another day's unbroken sunshine is in store at Hove, where Richard Rae will be watching Somerset try to build a first innings after bowling Sussex out yesterday for 221. That they could go on to finish second in the County championship would seem to be a matter for congratulation, but the number of times the Westcountrymen have been runners-up in the various domestic competitions in recent years - Somerset have been beaten in five finals and a semi-final, in addition to a Champions League t20 semi-final in the last three years - has seen Brian Rose decide to stand down as the county's Director of Cricket.
"After the result at the SWALEC Stadium and another defeat on Finals Day, I have come to the conclusion that a new and fresh approach is needed at first-team level," said Rose. "I will continue to try to assist the club in meeting its core objective of winning trophies. "The success of the club off the pitch - and the real financial strength it has achieved - has been remarkable. It has allowed greater investment in the development of our cricket structure, in tandem with the wonderful transformation of the County Ground, making it one of the most atmospheric stadiums in which to play cricket.

"The future development on the south side of the ground should ensure one-day internationals and make Taunton a unique place in world cricket. Somerset County Cricket Club is extremely well placed to prosper in the future - and I look forward to seeing this magnificent club go on to even greater things." Somerset chairman Andy Nash paid a fitting tribute to Rose's service to Somerset.

"Brian has uniquely served the club with great distinction as a player, captain and director of cricket," said Nash. "He remains the club's most successful captain, winning five trophies - and, since 2004, has transformed the performance of the first team, taking them from the bottom of the second division to one of the most consistent and competitive sides in all three competitions".

The former skipper is still going to have an as yet undefined role at Taunton, and no doubt will be available to advise his successor, when appointed.

11.09am: The "Kent mean team" – new-ball pairing Charlie Shreck and Mark Davies – are giving it their best against Derbyshire on the second morning of this promotion tussle in Canterbury, writes Mark Pennell.

Former Nottinghamshire veteran Shreck, who already has 50 championship wickets to his name this summer at a cost of 23 runs apiece, is giving it his all from the Pavllion End.

Meanwhile, operating from the Nackington Road End, Mark Davies, the former Durham seamer, has already enjoyed success on this second morning. Renowned for his dogged line and length, Davies has tied down Wes Durston so tightly that the Derbyshire right-hander felt obliged to dance down the pitch an aim to leg. The ball came off the leading edge and ballooned to mid-off where Alex Blake took a fine overhead catch.
Davies, who has moved south to successfully dispel his "injury-prone" tag, has now taken 31 wickets for the campaign at a respectable average of 19.83.

At 39 for two and with these two bowlers in tandem, Derbyshire have it all to do if they are to fight their way to a first innings lead.

11.36am: If anyone has forgotten what summer should look like then come down to New Road, writes Richard Gibson. It's real batting weather, which is obviously good news for Warwickshire in their bid to wrap up their first County Championship title in eight years. Not so good for Worcestershire, however, who lest we forget are on the brink of a fourth relegation since the two-divisional system was introduced in 2000.
Having resumed on 215 for two, the visitors added a further 43 runs this morning before Worcestershire created their first chance through veteran Alan Richardson. But Daryl Mitchell floored it, diving low to his right at second slip, to provide his opposite number Jim Troughton with a reprieve on 46. Remember, if Warwickshire score in excess of 350 and win here they will be guaranteed top spot whatever happens between Sussex and Somerset on the south coast.

12.02pm: Kent's bowlers have excelled themselves this morning, stretching every sinew in order to fully examine Derbyshire's top order batsmen, writes Mark Pennell.

In the first 85 minutes' play the table-topping visitors have mustered only 41 runs in the face of some dogged line and length bowling from Charlie Shreck and Mark Davies, then by their replacements, Darren Stevens and Matt Coles. Davies bowled a miserly stint of 8-7-4-1, which included the scalp of Wes Durston caught off a leading edge at mid-off. Shreck also kept it tight, sending down 7-3-13-0.

Kent skipper Rob Key has just introduced Adam Riley, the young off-spinner who is replacing England's James Tredwell, to see if this pitch will offer some turn.

12.11pm: Varun Chopra has just passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season here at New Road in front of not one but two England selectors, writes Richard Gibson. His director of cricket Ashley Giles watches his every week, of couse, but there could be some significance in the national selector Geoff Miller turning up post-Andrew Strauss retirement. The squad for the Test tour of India will be selected some time in the next fortnight.
Chopra's third County Championship hundred in 2012 is now worth 169 and he is ploughing on in a score of 298 for three – the one wicket to fall thus far on the second day that of Jim Troughton, whose thick inside edge ofh Chris Russell was spectacularly pouched by wicketkeeeper Ben Cox, flying away to his right.

12.26pm: It's been an eventful morning at Hove, reports Richard Rae down on the Sussex Riviera. Marcus Trescothick scored his 20,000th first class run, but once he was out in the same over, leg before to an in-swinger from Steve Magoffin, Somerset found the going hard.

They went from 68-1 to 71-4, as Chris Jones drove at Magoffin without getting anywhere near the pitch of the ball and edged to second slip – a good low catch by Mike Yardy – and James Hildreth went back and clipped a Monty Panesar delivery straight into Matt Prior's hands at midwicket. Peter Trego then hit Magoffin for four consecutive boundaries, the first two legitimately driven through the off-sidde, the last two edged first to vacant third man and then over the wicketkeeper, a presaging his dismissal soon afterwards, when another top-edged hook, this time at James Anyon, was well held if not particularly well-judged by Chris Nash, falling backwards at deep square leg. Monty, wheeling away from the Sea End, then persuaded Steve Snell to drive a straightforward catch to Lewis Hatchett at mid-off to reduce Somerset to 122-6.

There's still plenty in the wicket and even if second place to Warwickshire is now the best either of these sides can seriously hope for, it remains a genuinely interesting game of cricket.

12.37pm: A fine morning in Kent in terms of the weather and an excellent session for the home county after reducing Division 2 leaders Derbyshire to 96 for four, writes Mark Pennell.

During an enthralling two-hour session, Kent nipped out three Derbyshire batters while restricting the visitors to only 64 runs. Miserly line and length from Charlie Shreck and Mark Davies proved the undoing of Wes Durston, who lost patience by running down the pitch aiming to whip to leg, only to scoop a catch high to mid-off.

Kent's rookie off-spinner Adam Riley then teased out Paul Borrington (23) to a bat pad catch at short leg then Matt Coles fired out Dan Redfern without scoring, caught behind when pushing away from the body. Though Wayne Madsen has churned out a dogged 104-ball half-century, Derbyshire still trail by 165 at the interval.

12.53pm: Another notable presence at New Road is that of Wisden editor Lawrence Booth, once of this parish. You know there is something big in the offing when he's around, writes Richard Gibson.
Chopra is unbeaten on 179 at lunch in a score of 320 for four, having also lost Richard Johnson on the second morning. Johnson, only playing after Tim Ambrose injured a thigh while sat with his feet up (almost as good as the myth that Derek Pringle was once ruled out of a Test match after straining his back writing a letter), nicked off to debutant seamer Nick Harrison four overs before the interval. So, with Rikki Clarke for company, Chopra will be in charge of a pursuit of 30 runs in the next eight overs to secure a fourth batting point, and keep them on course to secure the Division One crown this week...

2.30pm: This is shaping up to be the match-defining session as Kent, in the shape of Mark Davies, have taken a grip on the game, writes Mark Pennell. In a testing second stint from Nackington Road End Davies, the former Durham seamer has snaffled three for eight in six crucial overs in which Derbyshire have slumped to 130-7 in response to Kent's 261.

Soon after lunch, Davies had Ross Whiteley caught behind when reaching
to defend a leg-cutter, then opening batsman Wayne Madsen went for 64
after chopping on to leg stump after a late decision to cut. Three balls later, David Wainwright drove at one and edged to slip where Rob Key took the catch nonchalantly to give Davies his first five-wicket haul for his new county.

3.25pm: Warwickshire have declared with a marginal lead of 411 against their local rivals, following Varun Chopra's 195 and 84 runs worth of long handle from loanee Ian Blackwell, writes Richard Gibson.

The declaration came on the eve of tea, immediately after number nine Tom Milnes top-edged a hook off Alan Richardson for six. It means that relegation-threatened Worcestershire will have to produce their highest score of the season just to make the Division One leaders bat again. For the record, their best to date is the 340 compiled against Somerset at the end of May.

Chopra passed 1,000 top-flight runs for the season when he reached 191 but departed four runs later when he was castled after missing a drive at Joe Leach's medium pace. Blackwell skied a catch in a late flurry while veteran Richardson had to wait until the 129th and final over of the innings for his maiden success - Keith Barker bowled attempting an impudent paddle.

3.38pm: Tea at Hove finds a crowd of several thousand keeping their fingers firmly crossed that Murray Goodwin is going to make his last innings for the county with a substantial score, reports Richard Rae.

The much-liked Zimbabwean was applauded all the way to the wicket when he came in after Alfonso Thomas inveigled Luke Wells to chase a wide one, and hasn't looked like being beaten in progressing to 21 not out. His 14,500 first class runs for Sussex have come at an average of 48, and to beat that would end what has been a wonderful career with the county on an appropriately high note.

At the other end Chris Nash is himself approaching 50 out of a total of 91-2, which with Somerset having been bowled out in fairly miserable fashion for 134 earlier in the day – the last nine wickets falling for 62 – means Sussex lead by 178. Given the weakness of the Somerset batting line-up in this game, there are some who might suggest they already have enough.

3.47pm: Two deliveries after tea and Brendan Nash has just given Kent a vital breakthrough, writes Mark Pennell.

The former West Indies batsman was brought on immediately after the interval to bowl left-arm "Chinamen", which paid immediate dividends when Tim Groenewald clipped back a firm return catch to the bowler to go for 22. He and Tom Poynton added a useful 51 for the ninth wicket to move Derbyshire on to 193 for nine and cut the Kent lead to 68 runs

3.57pm: Kent are about to start their second innings having secured a 61-run lead at the mid-point of the match, this after finally dismissing Derbyshire for 200, writes Mark Pennell.

Matt Coles took the last wicket to fall, yorking visiting wicketkeeper Tom Poynton for 45, Coles plucked out middle stump the delivery after the visitors had posted their sole batting bonus point.

Mark Davies was the pick of the Kent attack with 5-27, his first five-for for his new county, with Coles finished with 2-29 after one of his more impressive stints in recent weeks.

5.09pm: Warwickshire's bid to win the Championship title this week will run into a third day at New Road after a rare period of resistance from the home batsmen, writes Richard Gibson.

Despite Keith Barker bagging Australian opener Phillip Hughes for a second time in the contest - once again via an edge into the slips – before Worcestershire had registered in their second innings, a 76-run stand between captain Daryl Mitchell and Matt Pardoe has taken things to within seven overs of the close. Pardoe's departure came when he failed to get on top of a square cut off Rikki Clarke and was held above his head by Ian Westwood at point.

5.45pm: Worcestershire have shaved 100 runs off the 411 target they require to make Warwickshire bat again here or, looking at things a different way, have left the Division One leaders eight wickets away from sealing the title tomorrow, writes Richard Gibson. Until the morrow, over and out!

5.55pm: And that's it for the county liveblog for the day – the comments will stay open for any more reports and debates.

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