Ali has left Edgbaston but the wickets continue to fall onto the conveyor belt. Now Ed Barnard is lbw for ten, a second for van der Gugten. And upstarts Glamorgan have one of the favourites floundering, at 121 for five.

And, from nowhere, at Taunton, Tom Abell is out, flick driving Jack Carson, for 119.

Hmmm, Northants are trying their very best to underwhelm Gloucestershire’s 154. Currently 85-5, with new Lion James Sales nought not out. Saif Zaib 19.

Just listening to coverage from Taunton, where Anthony Gibson and Mel Farrell puzzle over Ollie Robinson only bowling 13 overs. Is he saving himself for England? Injured? Anyway, they’re in ecstacies over Tom Abell and his “piano” hands.

Essex have clawed their way back into this match, from the hole that was 39 for four. Wiaan Mulder’s 59 and Simon Harmer’s six-hitting 30 have reduced the deficit to 62 against Leicestrshire.

At Headingley, the groundstaff are pulling stakes out of a wheelbarrow and are hammering down the covers. Think this is curtains for today.

They were due back on at 4.50 here at Headingley, but now the covers are being dragged back out. And now pegged down.

Nothing. Nowhere.

An injury update from Beckenham, Ben McKinney injured his ankle during the morning warm-up and has been replaced by Will Rhodes. A useful fifty for David Bedingham has taken Durham to 121-4, the aforesaid Rhodes caught for 19, a second wicket for Singh.

They’ve managed 24 overs at Sophia Gardens in the women’s ODI, Jim is in the chair for the OBO.

Tea taken with Warwickshire at 105 for four but there are some seriously gnarly clouds over yonder...

Josh Wilmer, Yorkshire’s media man, informs us that there are 305 Test caps in Yorkshire’s current slip cordon – Bairstow, Root, Lyth, Brook, (Hill). We think that can’t currently be beaten by another county…

Hello ... a fourth wicket for Glamorgan and its the big one of Sam Hain to see Warwickshire 95 for four.

Tim van der Gugten had just seen a couple of lbw shouts turned down but eventually persuaded umpire Ian Blackwell to raise the finger, with Hain having shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back in. Hard to judge on the replay, because the camera isn’t behind the arm. Glamorgan, I should have said earlier, have picked up a fourth point in the match.

Glamorgan are up and about at Edgbaston, with Tom Norton - he of the hat-trick last week - getting the big wicket of Dan Mousley for 30 to see Warwickshire 93 for three.

The visitors had been struggling a bit with their lines before that, Mousley and Sam Hain being given too many freebies to easily clip to the short square boundary in front of the Hollies Stand. But Norton got one to angle into off stump from around the wicket, Mousley misjudged the leave, and a bit of nip saw it hit the bullseye.

At Beckenham, no celebratory runs for Emilio Gay, a six-ball duck instead. And Alex Lees has just followed, lbw to Ekash Singh, who was left high and dry on 66 in Kent’s innings – where Potts finished with six for 92.

This was a nice tale of Gay driving home to tell his parents of his England call-up.

A round of applause from the spectators as the groundstaff pull the covers off at Headingley. 3.40 restart, 43 overs left.

Rain, rain. Division One action, where there is any: Notts are 84 for one v Hampshire, Slater and McCann rebuilding after HH’s duck.

Josh Hull has removed Ben Allison for 72, but Essex have avoided the follow-on, 199-7.

Two wickets for Zain ul Hassan at Edgbaston, Warwicks 86-2. Two sixes, three fours, and 56 dots in Al Davies’ peculiar 30.

Sources close to the biscuit supplies at Headingley report that the press got through 100 little packs yesterday. Meanwhile more covers are being dragged on with no great haste.

A hardy breed of spectators inhabit Headingley. The floodlights are on, there’s no play and the groundstaff are now covering up the practise pitches, yet still they sit in the blue tip-up seats.

And another for Ben Mike, as Critchley dobbles one back and Mike almost trips but holds on and stays upright. Essex 143 for six.

Nightwatchman Jamie Porter is finally removed for 56, the second highest score of the match. New England lion Charlie Allison keeps plugging away, 60 not out. Essex 143 for five, trail by 190.

Ben Aitchison and Wayne Madsen are pulling this game away from Middlesex, both slide past 50 and towards hundreds. Derbys 261-5, lead by 84.

With nothing happening at Headingley other than the umpires chatting to the groundstaff out in the middle, the press box is distracted by Hearts v Celtic. You can follow it here.

Kent have past 500 for nine down. After losing 6 for 29, nine, ten, jack have added 122. Ekash Singh 54 not out. Five wickets for Matty Potts.

The quotes post play yesterday suggested there was more in the Beckenham pitch than might appear. This was Graham Onions last night: “the pitch had bounce. The stats here show that if you stay in there for long enough, it might seem flat, but the bounce always keeps you interested.”

They wandered on, and are now wandering off again. Harry Brook last over the rope, having a good chat with the umpire.

Done a lap of Headingley, there are people coming through the gates with woolly hats on, and it is starting to spit out there. A bargain pound a book at the second-hand bookstall outside the pavilion.

All out here at Headingley, Yorkshire 486, which will probably do. Fisher inches into position just inf ront of the rope and safely takes possession of a Richardson hook. Lunch here and around the grounds.

Some entertaining big hitting from Jack White, while clouds float ominously into position. To one side of the Howard Stand, the cranes stand motionless, to the other, trees in full green leaf.

A second wicket for Lawrence and we’ll play on here to give Surrey a chance to whistle out the final wicket – Yorks 472-9. In lunch news, gnocchi has arrived in the press box.

Dom Bess is looking perky this morning, pinging an irritated Jordan Clark through the offside for four. Ah, now tries to reverse-sweep Dan Lawrence’s second ball and is bowled. Yorks 458 for eight.

Was not expecting that, HH bowled Kyle Abbott, 0. Perhaps Hampshire are not already down and out.

George Hill pushes forward delicately and edges to first slip for 34. Yorkshire not really making the most of that huge Bairstow-Lyth partnership yesterday. Still, a not-too-bad crowd in again and slightly warmer than it was yesterday, though a few handwarmers in pockets from the looks of the slip fielders. Yorks 436-7.

Five batting bonus points for Kent, despite collapsing spillikins style this morning. Dawkins for 180, everyone else for not much. Three wickets each for Potts and Raine. Kent 466-7.

Essex have had a funny old season – and now are 39 for four against Leicestershire, Tom Westley, wafting.

Time to go around the grounds.

A beauty from Olly Hannon-Dalby has just done for young Tom Norton at Edgbaston, pitching middle and leg and pinging off stump to produce a nice woody clunk. That’s 22 wickets at 20 so far in this Pear-Bear season. Glamorgan 352 for nine with Ryan Hadley joining Mason Crane in the middle.

More nets, fewer nets - Ali puts England’s new look under the microscope.

Damp at Southport. Paul Edwards reports steady drizzle and an early lunch.

And the second Yorkshire centurion goes, flicking his bat in annoyance, caught at first slip for 141.

“Now then Tanya!” Hello Tim Maitland.

“With Surrey having unwillingly allowed the relatively out-of-form Adam Lyth and YJB to play themselves into their first centuries of the season and, if they don’t deal with them quickly this morning, facing being clarted into all four corners of LS6, I found myself wondering if Surrey’s championship challenge might be foundering on their bowling.

“Before the start of this round of matches Surrey had conceded 3,410 runs. That’s more than any other team in the first division, almost 800 runs more than leaders Nottinghamshire and puts them in an unwanted club of three to have already leaked 3,000 more together with strugglers Yorkshire and Leicestershire (one win and five defeats between them). They’re only third best in runs scored with 3,116, but that differential can be partly explained by their batting only once in draws against both Essex and Nottinghamshire.

“This table provides some answers. All five of Surrey’s games feature in the top ten highest match aggregates in the first division this year. In other words, their bowlers haven’t had much of a chance. If Nottinghamshire (4th in the list with a combined 1,278 runs with Surrey) and Warwickshire (3rd with 1,319 runs) both decided that producing batters’ paradises offered themselves the best chance to neuter Surrey’s challenge, the acid question is whether it’s been in Surrey’s best interests to produce such roads as they have at the Oval (1st and 1,474 runs v Leicestershire; 6th and 1,272 v Sussex; 9th and 1,183 v Essex).

“Worryingly for Surrey bowlers, second on the list is the Headingley surface that produced 1,337 runs against Sussex, which might suggest they’re in for another flogging this weekend. Even with the massive gap in championship fixtures, do Surrey have the strength in depth to be ridden like rented mules week after week?”

Arrive at Headingley to see a stocky figures stalking off.

Christian Ryan messages from Melbourne: “Let’s go YJB. 300 by tea.”

Morning from Edgbaston (he says, sheepishly, after getting diverted yesterday). An intriguing day ahead if the rain stays away. The last two pitches here have thrown up plently of wickets early on but from none for two, Glamorgan pushed against that notion yesterday and have a very handy first innings total on the board (341-8) with a bit more to add, potentially. Kudos to centurion Ben Kellaway, and OHD for being so magnanimous: “[BK] made it look easy. He stands still, and he plays straight. He played brilliantly.”

As an aside, one of the more incongruous sights this week has been Jonathan Trott walking around Edgbaston with a daffodil on his chest, having done a bit of coaching work with Glammy these past couple of seasons.

Apologies for tardiness, I was inputting in yesterday’s blog and couldn’t work out why it wasn’t loading…hotfooting it to ground now.

The biscuit I was given with my coffee this morning in a lovely Hyde Park cafe was a Bourbon. Is the Lotus finger now dead?