Photograph: John Mallett/ProSports/Shutterstock

Somerset return to summit after dog stops play: county cricket, day three – as it happened

Somerset surged to the peak of Division One following a commanding 377-run victory against Leicestershire, while Nottinghamshire struggled against a potent Hampshire bowling effort. Elsewhere, Lancashire's loaned wicketkeeper notched a half-century alongside Akhter, with the pair putting together an unbeaten 60-run stand for the eighth wicket to hold off Yorkshire.

Despite that effort, Essex sat on 157 for seven, remaining 233 runs adrift of their opponents. At Old Trafford, where Dhariwal and Taylor widened the advantage to 215 in improving batting conditions, a local steward inadvertently invited a visiting writer to chime the traditional five-minute bell.