Jamie Porter’s four-wicket haul edged Essex to a 31-run victory over Lancashire as the champions registered their first win of the new Specsavers County Championship season.

Porter took four of 54 at Chelmsford to deny the visitors with Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and latterly Joe Mennie all posting half-centuries to get their side within touching distance.

Mennie was the last man out for 56 as he and Matt Parkinson putting on 42 for the last wicket.

Lewis Gregory, Tim Groenewald and Josh Davey bowled Somerset to an 83-run victory over Worcestershire with more than a day to spare.

Having set the visitors 279 to win, Gregory took three for 35, Groenewald three for 51 and Davey two for 49 as they were dismissed for 195 my mid-afternoon at Taunton.

Ollie Pope and Amar Virdi put Surrey within sight of a crushing win over Hampshire.

Twenty-year-old Pope’s 145, his second century in just his 12th first-class innings, allowed his side to declare their second innings at 407 for nine, setting Hampshire an improbable 472 to win.

Perfect day for Pope

Surrey v Hampshire – Day 3: Highlights of all the best bits of the penultimate day of the Specsavers County Championship game against @Hampshire Cricket. Ollie Pope made a career best score of 145 to help Surrey to a lead of 471.A wicket apiece for Clarke, Dunn and two for Virdi put Surrey in a strong position going into the final day tomorrow.

Posted by Surrey Cricket on Sunday, April 22, 2018

By stumps, they were 116 for four with Sam Northeast on 14 and Rilee Rossouw on 19 after 19-year-old Virdi had trapped both James Vince and Hashim Amla leg before in the space of five balls.

Ben Coad bowled Yorkshire to the brink of victory over Nottinghamshire after Gary Ballance’s 82 and an unbeaten 68 from Tim Bresnan had laid the platform.

The visitors embarked upon their second innings needing 403 to win, but ended the day on 181 for eight with Coad having helped himself to four for 55.

In Division Two, Ryan Sidebottom plundered 10 wickets in the match as Warwickshire routed Northamptonshire by an innings and 48 runs at Northampton.

Sidebottom, who claimed a career best six for 35 in the first innings, added four for 61 in the second with support from Chris Wright, Jeetan Patel and Henry Brookes, who took two apiece, to bowl out the home side for 218.

Resuming at 41 for nought, opener Rob Newton with 46 and wicket-keeper Adam Rossington with 58 provided some resistance, but Warwickshire’s first-innings total of 413 ultimately proved decisive.

Gloucestershire face a final-day battle to avoid an innings defeat by Glamorgan with five second-innings wickets remaining.

James Bracey on 34 not out and Ryan Higgins, unbeaten on 31, will resume the battle to score the 157 they need to reach the visitors’ first innings total of 526 for nine, declared with their side having been reduced to 133 for five in their second innings.

Reece hits unbeaten 157 as good third day leaves Derbyshire hunting victory tomorrow 🙌💥Report ➡️ http://po.st/QOaotg#DERvMID

Posted by Derbyshire County Cricket Club on Sunday, April 22, 2018

Middlesex will head into day four of their showdown with Derbyshire needing 356 runs to win with seven wickets remaining.

Opener Luis Reece’s unbeaten 157 was the main contribution to Derbyshire’s second innings tally of 333 for three declared, with the visitors closing on 86 for three.

Leicestershire’s Colin Ackermann hit 186 to frustrate Sussex on day three at Leicester.

Ackerman’s 458-minute knock helped the home side to reach 422 for nine declared, 16 runs behind the visitors’ first-innings total, with Sussex having added a further 11 without loss by the close.