Tuesday 13 September 2016 11:17, UK
Essex's promotion push from Division Two of the Specsavers County Championship was halted somewhat despite reducing Glamorgan to 256-7 on day one at Chelmsford.
Essex lead Kent - who have played a game more - by 20 points and have already secured two more bowling bonus points to edge further ahead, though having had Glamorgan 83-6 at one stage they will be disappointed it wasn't more.
Graham Napier (4-46) took four of those opening six wickets, but then Kiran Carlson cracked a superb unbeaten 101 to lift the visitors, putting on an unbroken 129-run stand for the eighth wicket with Owen Morgan who was unbeaten on 51 at the close.
Sussex are Essex's next-nearest challengers, but they failed to take control of their contest with Worcestershire on day one at Hove.
The visitors notched only a modest 306 all out in their first innings - Steve Magoffin taking 5-38 - but Sussex are really struggling at 50-4 in reply.
Miguel Cummins took 3-19 - removing both Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Craig Cachopa for ducks - to tear through the hosts' batting line-up in the opening 12.2 overs of their first innings before the close of play.
A career-best unbeaten 79 from Harvey Hosein rescued winless Derbyshire on the opening day of their clash against Leicestershire at Derby.
The home side had slipped to 151-5, despite a half-century from Alex Hughes (55), with Charlie Shreck (3-67) taking three wickets.
But Hosein's knock helped Derbyshire through to 282-8 at the close of play, aiding the home side's efforts in trying to avoid becoming the first team in the county's history to go through a season without winning a game.
Centuries from Rob Newton and Alex Wakely lifted Northamptonshire before Gloucestershire hit back after tea on day one of their match at Wantage Road.
Newton (130) and Wakely (104) put on 196 for the second wicket, though Gloucestershire took three wickets with the second new ball to help reduce their hosts to 322-6 by stumps.
Liam Norwell (3-51) added to his earlier dismissal of England hopeful Ben Duckett, for five, with the key wickets of Newton and Richard Levi (28).
