At this rate the ECB are going to need a fleet of double-decker buses to get all the players tipped for England this weekend to the opening Test against New Zealand on 4 June.

The shadows from the stands have begun to stretch across the square and the umpires have just had a brief chat about the conditions, with seven overs remaining in the day, but we plough on for now, with Somerset now 203 to the good.

Can Sussex conjure another wicket in the four overs remaining at Grace Road?

Ben Cox flicks Tom Price down to fine leg for four before Ollie Robinson takes himself off at the other end and reverts to Jack Carson's off-spin.

No further breakthroughs for Lancs as the players walk from the middle in bright sunshine and lengthening shadows.

The visitors look in command of the contest after an excellent performance with the ball, Jimmy Anderson finishing with 5-66 and Tom Bailey with 4-51 as Northants were stopped 126 short at the halfway stage.

Harry Conway's 4-38 gave Northants hope of pulling the game back into their orbit but an 80-run eighth wicket partnership between Bailey and Ajeet Singh Dale took it away again.

Four overs were there to be faced at the end of day and Ricardo Vasconcelos failed to get through one with Anderson bagging his wicket fourth ball.

Northants remain 312 behind with nine wickets remaining and need a heroic effort on day four.

Absolute no jeopardy in this game whatsoever in the lengthening shadows.

Into the final 10 overs of the day, the intensity has ebbed out of Notts in the field as the Somerset lead nears 200 with nine wickets standing.

James Rew is on to 92* with Tom Kohler-Cadmore six behind him and both with have an eye on a significant milestone before they hit their pillows tonight.

Too much width by Martin Andersson and Dan Lategan gives it a hearty thump to the point boundary as Worcestershire reach 50 in their second innings for the loss of Jake Libby.

Lategan again showing commendable maturity - he has 30 not out to go with his 89 earlier in the day.

The fact Harmer has just 14 Test caps for South Africa is always a surprise...

If only there was another one waiting in the wings to replace him if that happened, Philip. What's that? There's ANOTHER ONE? Yep, 18-year-old Thomas Rew who has already starred for England under-19s.

Was Rory Burns put off by fireworks? While he was being dismissed for 55 a flurry of loud bangs and flashing lights were set off from behind the Hollies stand.

Had Burns got a faint nick on the delivery from Chris Woakes he might have got away with it as the umpire would have struggled to hear anything.

Middlesex's day, quite emphatically, though Gloucestershire have shown some late fight.

After posting a whopping 445-9 dec, the hosts managed to bundle the visitors out for 216 with Toby Roland-Jones Rolan back the years to take 5-37 from 22 overs and Miles Hammond (77) the only man past 30 for Gloucestershire.

The follow-on was enforced and despite some gritty resistance in 56 overs of their second innings, the hosts have picked up three wickets - two for Seb Morgan and another for TRJ - and will go into the final day needing to find seven more with a lead of 109 still to work with.

With only eight overs remaining, Sussex skipper Ollie Robinson decides it is time to look again to his seamers.

Tom Price sends down a tidy over, costing him just a couple of runs, and now it will be Robinson himself.

It's not been a free-scoring pitch over the first three days but Glamorgan are going to have to find a way to lift the run rate if they have ambitions to win this game on the final day.

Another over ticks by, there are 16 to go and the lead is 149. Eddie Byrom is 39 not out and Kiran Carlson has 13.

Well played, Wilf.